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BR-102022000201-B1 - COATING PROCESS, POLYMERIC FOAM AND SORPTION PROCESS

BR102022000201B1BR 102022000201 B1BR102022000201 B1BR 102022000201B1BR-102022000201-B1

Abstract

COATING PROCESS, POLYMERIC FOAM AND SORPTION PROCESS. The present invention relates to a polymeric foam coated with allotropic forms of carbon, preferably graphite, carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene derivatives. Furthermore, the invention promotes the production of sorbents with high sorption capacity, low production cost, possibility of large-scale production, high selectivity, reusability and long storage time without deterioration of the system. The present invention falls within the fields of Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering and Chemistry.

Inventors

  • ADEMIR JOSÉ ZATTERA
  • LILIAN VANESSA ROSSA BELTRAMI
  • BRUNA ROSSI FENNER
  • MATHEUS VINICIUS GREGORY ZIMMERMANN

Assignees

  • FUNDAÇÃO UNIVERSIDADE DE CAXIAS DO SUL

Dates

Publication Date
20260310
Application Date
20220106

Claims (10)

  1. 1. Polymer foam coating process characterized by comprising the step of: a) solubilizing an allotropic form of carbon in an organic solvent, wherein the mass of the allotropic form of carbon corresponds to 1% to 10% by mass of said polymer foam; b) immersing said polymer foam in a solution as obtained at the end of step a), under agitation, for a period of 20 min to 45 min and with an agitation speed of 500 rpm to 1500 rpm.
  2. 2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the organic solvent is ethanol or petroleum ether.
  3. 3. Process, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the foam having a specific mass between 8 kg.m-3 and 50 kg.m-3.
  4. 4. A process for producing coated polymer foam, characterized by comprising the steps of: a) synthesizing polymer foam; b) coating a foam as obtained at the end of step a), by a process as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3.
  5. 5. Polymer foam characterized by being obtained by a process as defined in claim 4, wherein the polymer foam comprises from 1% to 10% by mass of a coating of an allotropic form of carbon.
  6. 6. Polymeric foam, according to claim 5, characterized by comprising a specific mass between 8 kg.m-3 and 50 kg.m-3 and a sorption capacity between 50 g.g-1 and 70 g.g-1.
  7. 7. A process for sorbing hydrophobic substances, characterized by comprising the following steps: a) immersing a polymeric foam, as defined in claim 5 or 6, in an aqueous solution contaminated with one or more hydrophobic phases.
  8. 8. Process according to claim 7, characterized by further comprising the following step: b) removal of the coated polymer foam from the location where it was immersed.
  9. 9. Process according to claim 7 or 8, characterized by further comprising the following steps: c) compression of the polymeric foam to release the hydrophobic compounds sorbed therein; d) reuse of the polymeric foam in a sorption process of hydrophobic substances.
  10. 10. Process, according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the hydrophobic contaminant phase is petroleum and/or petroleum derivatives.

Description

Field of Invention [0001] The present invention discloses polymeric foams coated with allotropic forms of carbon, preferably graphite, carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene derivatives, for use as a selective sorbent of hydrophobic substances. The present invention is situated in the field of Nanotechnology, Materials Engineering and Chemistry. Background of the Invention [0002] The growth in oil exploration and transportation of oil and its derivatives in marine environments has increased concern about potential environmental disasters caused by accidents involving the spillage of these products. These spills cause disastrous consequences for the environment, human health, the economy, and the management of non-renewable resources. [0003] It is estimated that approximately 3.2 billion tons of oil contaminate aquatic environments every year. Pollution experts emphasize that these leave marks for twenty years or more and that recovery is always very long and difficult, even with human help. Oil, when released into the water, spreads immediately. Its action and that of its byproducts impair the aeration and natural lighting of the marine environment due to the formation of an insoluble film on the surface, consequently causing harmful effects on fauna and flora. Furthermore, in its raw form, oil is more resistant to degradation and natural attenuation than dissolved compounds, and it also contains many volatile compounds which begin to evaporate as soon as the spill occurs. [0004] The effects of oil spills are not limited to the environment. There are immediate effects on humans, fish, animals, birds and wildlife in general, mainly due to direct contact with the spilled oil, including breathing in the volatilized oil components (hydrocarbons) of the spill, direct contact with the environment polluted with oil spill components (some of which may persist for a long time), such as drinking polluted water or breathing polluted dust particles, as well as consuming polluted food - at any level within the food chain, with the greatest risk of food pollution at the higher levels of the food chain, i.e., humans and animals. [0005] To minimize the impacts caused by oil spills, several methods are used, such as: dispersants; skimmers; containment barriers; in situ burning; manual removal; bioremediation and sorbents. The selection of the method to be employed depends on the type of ecosystem in question, the type of oil spilled and some technical factors related to the operation, equipment and operating costs. [0006] Among existing methods, the use of sorbents is considered a promising remediation measure, as it can efficiently remove and recover oils from the water surface. Sorbents recover oils into the porous material or on its surface, and after saturation they are replaced. The advantage of this method is that, when added to an area with spilled hydrophobic substances, the substances transfer to the sorbent, even changing from the liquid to the semi-liquid phase without altering the chemical composition of the sorbent, which facilitates the removal of contaminants from the affected area, since it is only necessary to remove the sorbent material from the site. [0007] In the search for the state of the art in scientific and patent literature, the following documents were found that deal with the subject: [0008] The document Liu et Al. 2013, entitled “COST-EFFECTIVE REDUCED GRAPHENE OXIDE-COATED POLYURETHANE SPONGE AS A HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND REUSABLE OIL-ABSORBENT”, reveals the use of polyurethane foams coated with commercial graphene oxide, where the reduction step was subsequent to the coating step. [0009] Document CN107522895A, entitled “METHOD FOR GENTLE PREPARATION OF GRAPHENE-POLYURETHANE SPONGE COMPOSITE MATERIAL”, as well as the previously cited document, reveals the use of polyurethane foams coated with commercial graphene oxide, where the reduction step occurred after the coating step. [0010] The document Fenner et al. 2018, entitled “COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AMONG COATING METHODS OF FLEXIBLE POLYURETHANE FOAMS WITH GRAPHENE OXIDE”, discloses the coating of polyurethane foams with graphene oxide and does not explore the reduction step in its process. [0011] Thus, based on the literature reviewed, no documents were found that anticipated or suggested the teachings of the present invention, so the formulation proposed here has novelty and inventive activity compared to the state of the art. [0012] In short, although the use of sorbents is already known as a method for recovering contaminated aqueous solutions, the literature still lacks a composition that simultaneously presents high sorption capacity, low production cost, possibility of large-scale production, high selectivity, reusability and long storage time without deterioration of the system. Summary of the Invention [0013] Thus, the present invention relates to a polymeric foam coated with allotropic forms of carbon, preferably graphite, carbon nanotubes,