<p>Oil spill accidents during transportation are severe environmental issues affecting the entire marine ecosystem. A practical solution to this humongous problem is applying the biosorption method to clean up the spilled oil using biowaste-based materials. In this study, we describe the synthesis of nanogels with oleophilic properties derived from raw coconut husk (C^h) and methyl methacrylate (MMA), [poly(MMA)-<i>cl</i>-C^h]. Various attributes of the structure and texture of the synthesized oleophilic nanogels were examined utilizing different characterization techniques. The oleophilic nanogels were further analysed for their effectiveness in adsorbing petrol, diesel, toluene, and petroleum ether from their emulsions with water. The optimum sorption conditions were evaluated by varying different sorption parameters, including contact time and temperature. Poly(MMA)-<i>cl</i>-C^h showed a maximum sorption capacity of 14.2&#xa0;gg⁻¹ in 60&#xa0;min at 30&#xa0;°C in diesel oil, which is quite high compared to the raw coconut husk (2.1&#xa0;gg⁻¹). The maximum sorption capacities were 13.4&#xa0;gg⁻¹ for petrol, 11.0&#xa0;gg⁻¹ for toluene, and 9.4&#xa0;gg⁻¹ for petroleum ether. The kinetic data showed close fitting with the pseudo-second-order model. The regeneration of the oleophilic nanogels was investigated till the synthesized material showed an appreciable oil sorption. It was reusable for up to six cycles with a cumulative sorption capacity of 57.2&#xa0;gg⁻¹. The synthesized oleophilic nanogel is an efficient and apt adsorbent for oil spill cleanup.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>