BENEFITS OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE FORM RICE PLANT 2: COMPARATIVE ABSORPTION OF SPILL OIL FROM FRESH AND MARINE WATER USING RICE STRAW

Spill oil released to fresh and marine environment through accidental spillage pipes, tankers, ships, offshore platforms. In general wherever oil is produced, transported, stored and used there will be the risk of a spillage. The presence of dissolved crude oil in water aquatic life causes serious damage to the environment and marine life. Treatment of oil spills remains a challenge to environmental scientists and technologists. Nowadays natural sorbents are applied as a single solution for oil spills since this technique is effective, rapid and cost saving for cleaning these pollutions and reduce environmental hazards. This study was carried out to investigate the potential of raw rice straw to remove the spill oil. In this respect an attempt was done to provide an efficient, easily deployable method of cleaning up oil spills and reusing of the oil again. It is important to provide a safe system for oil removal and recovery. The results presented and discussed in this work pointed the efficiencies of different sizes and weights of rice straw in removing of oil spill are very different. Removal of oil spill from polluted water (marine or fresh) using different size of rice straw was observed in the following order: medium > small > very small > long. Removal of oil spill from polluted water (marine or fresh) using different weights of rice straw was observed in the following order: 10.0 g > 8.0 g > 6.0 g > 12.0 g > 4.0 g > 2.0 g. Rice straw at 10.0 g weight achieved a maximum removal of oil spill. It will provide a cheap way of cleaning oily contaminated water and environment, thus safeguarding human health and aquatic life.