Acetylation of Jute fiber to improve oil absorbency

Raw Jute was modified by acetylation process with acetic anhydride using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a catalyst in a solvent free system which was found to be effective catalyst. The reaction parameters were optimized which were found to be time 1 h, temperature 120 °C, catalyst concentration 2 %, and solid to liquid ratio 1:20. The product so formed was characterized by FT-IR and TG and its degree of acetylation was also evaluated. The extent of acetylation was measured by weight percent gain (WPG). Acetylation resulted in significant increase in hydrophobic properties of the jute fiber. The oil sorption capacity of the acetylated jute was higher than that of the commercial synthetic oil sorbents such as polypropylene fibers as well as raw jute. Therefore, these oil sorption-active materials which are also biodegradable can be used to substitute non-biodegradable synthetic materials in oil spill cleanup.