The suitability of natural and synthetic filter material for the removal of petroleum products from the aqueous media

Abstract

Petroleum products that have leaked into the natural environment are very hazardous. They are particularly dangerous for aquatic ecosystems. The major part of oils is carried into natural water bodies together with the surface outwashes from urban areas. One of the most inexpensive and easiest methods of the removal of oil contaminants from runoff is filtering. The authors of this study examined several synthetic substances (Duck and Reo-dry), and several vegetal materials (shredded stems of reeds, bulrush and lesser bulrush) and compared their filtration characteristics with the characteristics of the synthetic substance Fibroil now widely used for filtration. The authors of this study feel that the materials tested are suitable for the petroleum removal filter medium. Industrialists submit specifications of their products that were recorded under ideal conditions, at a low filtration rate. The authors studied filter material of natural origin as well as synthetic ones by simulating actual conditions that originate during heavy rains, i.e. at high filtration rates. In some aspects, low-cost vegetal material for the surface treatment of runoff performed better than the synthetic filters.