Improving the oil sorption capability of porous polyurethane composites by the incorporation of cellulose fibers extracted from water hyacinth

Cellulose fibers were successfully extracted from water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and incorporated into porous polyurethane composites at fiber loadings of 1-7 wt%. As expected, the polyurethane composites became more hydrophilic as the cellulose loading was increased. The porosity of the composite structure was also affected by the addition of fiber. Composites with higher fiber loadings had greater macropore volumes. Preliminary investigation of oil sorption was conducted, and the addition of water hyacinth-derived fiber was demonstrated to significantly improve oil sorption by the porous composites. This was attributed to the greater porosity of composites with higher fiber loadings.