Facile fabrication of magnetite nanoparticles with new hydrophobic amides and their application in oil spill remediation

Abstract

In this study, inexpensive magnetite nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) were prepared and applied to oil spill remediation. To do so, two novel hydrophobic amides, HADN and HATN, were prepared and applied to Fe₃O₄ surface modification, producing HAN-Fe₃O₄ and HAT-Fe₃O₄, respectively. The efficiency of HAN-Fe₃O₄ and HAT-Fe₃O₄ for oil spill remediation (EOSR) was investigated using different HAN-Fe₃O₄ and HAT-Fe₃O₄ weights and at various contact times. The data indicated that the EOSR increased with increased HAN-Fe₃O₄ and HAT-Fe₃O₄ weights, as their EOSR reached 100% and 89%, respectively, using 100 mg. The results also revealed that the optimum time for HAN-Fe₃O₄ and HAT-Fe₃O₄ (50 mg) to achieve the highest EOSR is 8 min, as their EOSR reached 98% and 84%, respectively, at this time. In addition, HAN-Fe₃O₄ exhibited higher EOSR than HAT-Fe₃O₄, which could be linked to the presence of an aromatic ring in HADN that is used for surface modification of Fe₃O₄, making them more compatible with crude oil components.

Keywords: Magnetite nanoparticles; Oil spill remediation; Surface modification.