Reusable nanocomposite-coated polyurethane foams for the remediation of oil spills

Cost-effective oil absorbents for the remediation of oil spills have been developed following a facile process involving the modification of polyurethane foam surfaces with mixtures of silicon oxide nanoparticles and polydimethylsiloxane. Polyurethane foams with different pore sizes and connectivity are tested, and it was found that the proposed treatment, applied by dip coating and spray coating, strongly improves the intrinsic foams' performance in terms of selectivity and oil absorption capacity. The modified foams reach oil absorption capacities up to 60 g/g and simultaneous negligible water uptake. The treatment is stable after multiple absorption cycles, and therefore, the foams can be reused without significant decrease in their performance, being possible, after five cycles of absorption and recovery of oil, to reach overall oil absorption capacities up to 250 g/g.