A Comparative Study of Treatment Methods of Raw Sugarcane Bagasse for Adsorption of Oil and Diesel

Current environmental trends show an increase in pollutant concentrations in water bodies. The alarming concern this poses has made it crucial to remove pollutants from water and eliminate them, owing to the host of issues they cause to the ecosystem. While sorption is a popular method of treating wastewater, there are several concerns regarding its accessibility, affordability, efficiency, and functioning toward a circular sustainable economy. The current study focuses on the feasibility of using sugarcane bagasse (SCB) to remove oil and diesel from water and proposes to do so without turning SCB into biochar, contrary to the usual method. Raw SCB was chemically treated using sodium hydroxide and acetic acid. With little pre-treatment, it was found to have improved sorption abilities with low input materials and environmental toxicity. Sorption experiments conducted on treated and untreated SCB showed the effects of different parameters on the oil or diesel removal efficiency. Furthermore, FTIR, BET, and SEM studies were conducted to characterize the intrinsic morphology and structure of the sorbent.