β-Cyclodextrin-based oil-absorbent microspheres: Preparation and high oil absorbency

This article reports the preparation and evaluation of polymeric microspheres as a new class of oil-absorbent (POAMs). Based on our earlier oil-absorbents, the present microspheres contained β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) moieties as both cross-linking agent and porogen agent, and showed exciting high oil absorbency, fast oil absorption speed and good reusability. Such microspheres were prepared via suspension polymerization with octadecyl acrylate and butyl acrylate as co-monomers, β-CD derivative as cross-linking agent, 2,2′-azoisobutyronitrile as initiator and polyvinylalcohol as stabilizer. Oil absorbency of the POAMs was, for CCl4, 83.4; CHCl3, 75.1; xylene, 48.7; toluene, 42.8; gasoline, 30.0; kerosene 27.1; and diesel, 18.2 g/g (oil/POAMs). Saturation oil absorption reached within 3 h in CCl4. The POAMs exhibited high oil retention percentage (>90%), and can be reused for at least 10 times while keeping oil absorbency almost unchanged.