Advanced materials for oil spill remediation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63618/omd/revinvlid/v2/n1/28Keywords:
aerogels, hydrocarbons, nanomaterials, environmental remediation, oil spillsAbstract
Oil spills pose a persistent threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in Ecuador and Latin America, where the complexity of crude oil and tropical conditions limit the effectiveness of conventional containment and recovery methods. The study aimed to analyze the technical, environmental, and economic performance of advanced materials applicable to hydrocarbon remediation. A non-experimental, cross-sectional, mixed-methods literature review was conducted through a comparative analysis of five configurations based on aerogels, functionalized sponges, cellulose, graphene, and MXene. The results showed maximum capacities ranging from 51.7 to 85.6 g/g, with an average of 63.8 ± 18.9 g/g, continuous recovery rates of up to 5.3 g/min, and flow rates of 630 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹. The evidence indicated that porosity, hydrophobicity, directed channels, and photothermal conversion favored crude oil capture and transport, although methodological heterogeneity prevented the establishment of superiority among technologies. It was concluded that these materials offer significant potential, but their operational transfer requires pilot testing, ecotoxicological assessment, life-cycle analysis, and standardized economic estimates.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Ruiz-Sánchez, Clara Isabel, Zapata-Velasco, Mayra Lisette, Guerrero-Calero, Juan Manuel (Autor/a)
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