Ng Yong Xin Elizabeth, Steven Sebastian Hu,
Teoh Yu Siang Darryl, Koo Yi Jia working on R& D work of aerogel project
Prototypes of aerogel products for palm oil absorption
Oil spillage and oily wastewater are becoming more and more serious and threatening the environments worldwide. Silica aerogel with hydrophobic and oleophillic properties has been identified as a potential material for oil absorption and can be used to absorb different oils.
In this project, we fabricate super hydrophobic silica aerogel from incineration bottom ashes by a chemical treatment process followed by the low-cost sol-gel and ambient drying processes. The fabricated silica aerogel demonstrates excellent superior water repellency, super oleophillicity to different oils, outstanding absorption capacity and reusability. Due to its low density, super hydrophobicity, reduced cost, and excellent oil absorption properties, we foresee that the silica aerogel can be used as a promising material for oil-spill clean-up.