Plasma-Treated Cotton Nonwoven for Oil Sorption

While nonwoven fabrics are widely used for their technical capabilities and cost-effectiveness, they generally have lower mechanical strength compared to woven fabrics. This, in turn, limits their utility in applications of high durability and strength requirement such as absorbing oils, industrial cleaning, etc. This paper addresses this challenge by investigating the use of environmentally friendly plasma surface treatment as a method to enhance the properties of mechanically cleaned cotton nonwovens without significantly affecting oil sorption. Unlike conventional approaches that rely solely on synthetic additives, plasma treatment provides an environmentally friendly alternative that modifies the fabric surface naturally. The results demonstrate that this treatment significantly improves the tenacity of the nonwoven cotton without compromising its oil sorption capacity, making it a promising solution for applications where both mechanical strength and absorbent capabilities are required. Results show that both from material and processing perspectives environmentally friendly cotton-based nonwovens can be used for cleaning oil spills.