Oil spill cleanup: A review

Oil is a vital source of energy in the modern industrial world. It has to be transported from the production source to many locations throughout the world via oceans and inland transport. Oil spillage over the water bodies happens during transit due to accidents or deliberate action during wartime, causing environmental degradation. Fiber based sorbents have been found to be the finest material for cleaning up oil spills. The material and structure of the sorbents, as well as the physical properties of the oil, impact the sorbents' oil sorption and retention behaviour. This review paper studies the various oil spill cleanage methods with a special emphasis on oil sorption technique using fibers as biosorbent material. In addition to the available sorbents viz cotton, wool, milkweed floss, kenaf, kapok, sugarcane bagasse etc, the use of bamboo fibre has been suggested as a supreme sorbent.