Oil Absorption Potential of Modified Sponge Gourd (Luffa acutangula) for Oil Spill Remediation

Abstract

. Major oil spills in Philippines waters have cause ecological damage to corals, public health threats and disrupted the livelihood of fishermen. These impacts highlights the need for effective and environmentally suitable remediation metjods.  Luffa acutangula, commonly known as sponge gourd is an annual climbing plant wildly cultivated in the province of Isabela. This study evaluated the oil absoprtion capacity of unmodified and chemically modified Luffa acutangula as bio-absorbent materials for oil spill remediation. The fibers were chemically modified with 10% sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hot water, 10% acetic acid, and ethyl alcohol – to determine their effects in the physical properties, oil absorption capacity and crude-oil uptake.  Experiments were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions using an artificial sea-oil water mixture and followed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Data were analyzed using Analysis of variance and Least Significant Diffference (LSD). Result showed that chemical modification significantly influenced the oil absorption performance of the luffa fibers. Among the four chemical treatments LA modified with 10% acetic acid performed the highest oil absorption capacity (439.33 g/g), indicating improved oil affinity due to increased porosity. Unmodified fibers also showed high absorption capacity confirming its suitability as a bio-absorbent. In contrast, fibers modified with 10% NaOH and ethyl alcohol treated fibers showed lower oil absorption performance due to its fiber compaction and decreased pore volume, the findings show that the Luffa acutangula is an effective bio-absorbent for oil spill remediation with  appropriate chemical modification specifically 10% acetic acid can further enhance its oil absorption performance, emphasizing its effectiveness and potential for sustainable oil spill remediation bio-absorbent material.