Conditions arising from the absorption of crude oil by corn cob in oil spills

Abstract

This work presents an experimental study of the absorption capacity of crude oil contained in an aqueous medium, using corn cob as absorbent material. An experimental design of the generalized factorial type is proposed, taking into account the following factors: particle size, API density of the oil, temperature and salinity of the water; the values ​​of the levels corresponding to each factor emulate the behavior of a real oil spill. 36 experimental runs are carried out, the percentage of oil absorbed in a sample of corn cob is measured, from a statistical analysis of variance, it is possible to determine the factors that have greater and lesser effect on the absorption process; it is observed that the salinity of the water is a factor that has a greater effect on the absorption process, while the API gravity has a lesser effect. In addition, the result of an analysis of optimization of the conditions and quality of oil that present the highest percentage of absorption is presented.