Novel Hydrophobic/Oleophilic Keratin/Cellulose Composite Cryogels for Spilled Oil Removal

Hydrophobic/oleophilic absorbent materials have been mostly studied and used in recovery spilled oil. A facile and ecofriendly strategy was developed to prepare new keratin/cellulose (Ker/Cell)-based composite via the dissolution and regeneration of chicken feather and cardboard wastes in1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BmimCl) ionic liquid solvent. The aim of the present work is to produce a hydrophobic keratin/cellulose cryogel absorbent using hexadecyltrichlorosilane (HTCS) both via liquid phase or gaseous phase conditions. The Ker/Cell cryogel modification with chlorosilanes was successfully verified by a variety of techniques. After silanization, the HTCS-modified Ker/Cell cryogels showed hydrophobicity with an average water contact angle of 110°. Furthermore, the hexadecyltrichlorosilane-modified Ker/Cell cryogel displayed fast and good absorption capacity in the range of 4–14 g/g for various types of oils and organic solvents. Thus, elaborated oleophilic sorbents could be considered as a good alternative for oil spillage cleaning.