Sorption capacity of hydrophobic cellulose cryogels silanized by two different methods

The production of cellulose cryogels for petroleum sorption is a relevant study since cellulose is an economical, renewable, biodegradable and abundant source in the environment. However, as this material is of hydrophilic character it is necessary to modify the hydrophobicity of the cellulose fiber surfaces by using organosilanes, for example. The aim of this work is the development of hydrophobic cellulose cryogels for application in petroleum sorption. For this, was compared the sorption capacity of cryogels silanized by methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) through two methods: vapor deposition and addition of silane to cellulose suspension. For the samples with MTMS addition to the cellulose suspension, modifying the MTMS fiber surfaces increased the water contact angle on average by 112 degrees. For the samples modifyed by vapor deposition the increase was of 119 degrees. The most effective silanization method was by vapor deposition where the petroleum sorption capacity was 50% higher than by the cellulose addition method.