Development of hydrophobic polyurethane/castor oil biocomposites with agroindustrial residues for sorption of oils and organic solvents.

Since pollution of aquifer sources by organic compounds is a threat to the environment and humans, technology's constant advancement in developing sustainable adsorbents using renewable resources with hydrophobic characteristics has become increasingly attractive. In this study, we developed and characterized castor oil-based polyurethane biocomposites reinforced with malt and/or acerola residues for adsorption/separation of various organic oils/solvents. The residues evidenced biocomposite flexibility, increase in adsorption capacity for all organic oils/solvents, with a maximum of 3257.