Enhancing Sponge Absorbency with Carbon Dots for Cost-Effective Oil Spill Remediation

Marine oil spills negatively impact human health and aquatic ecosystems, causing biodiversity loss and reduce water quality. A range of mechanical, chemical, and biological methods have been employed to address oil spills in marine environments. As science and technology advance, there is a high demand for affordable and effective oil-absorbing materials. Oil absorbers using sponges with solar heat can be a solution to overcome the problem of oil spills at low cost and can be recycled. In this study, we combined the sponge with carbon dots from graphite pencils to improve the sponge's ability to absorb oil. The electrochemical method successfully synthesized carbon dots with particle sizes ranging from 1 to 5 nm. UV-Vis absorption, photoluminescence intensity, and FTIR spectra have revealed transition energies, peak intensities, and functional groups characteristic of carbon dots, respectively. We used sponges with and without carbon dots to compare their performance in absorbing oils. In addition, we also compared sponge performance when exposed to temperatures of 60 to 65 °C. Sponges with carbon dots have high absorbency. The absorbency of the sponge increases by 28% when combined with a carbon dot. A higher temperature can also increase the absorbency of the sponge.