Exploring the glycoprotein washing fluid-assisted cleanup for the restoration of oil-contaminated shorelines with environmental integrity

Spilled oil in ocean can spread to the shoreline and cause long-term impacts on the shoreline's ecological environment. Therefore, removing oil accumulated on shorelines is crucial. This study proposed an innovative ovalbumin (OVA) fluid-assisted method for the cleanup of oiled shoreline substrates. The oil removal efficiency of OVA fluids was systematically investigated. Higher concentrations of OVA fluids effectively enveloped and immobilized the oil, aiding in its separation from the sand surface. The increased temperature reduced the viscosity of emulsions, facilitating improved flow and oil removal. High salinity promoted the creation of oil particle aggregates molecules and facilitated the release of oil from the sand surface. The factorial analysis demonstrated that a high salt environment significantly enhances the combined impact of temperature and pH on oil removal performance. Different methods for the responsive separation of washing effluents were studied, and the most effective separation method was adjusting the pH of effluents to 4.54 (the isoelectric point of OVA). Separated precipitates exhibited good decomposition efficiency through thermal decomposition and biodegradation. OVA fluids boast advantages, such as low cost, easy recyclability, and non-toxicity, while ensuring high oil removal efficiency and making them a promising eco-friendly technique for the cleanup of oiled shorelines. [Display omitted] •Ovalbumin (OVA) washing fluid presented good performance in oil removal from sand.•The washing performance of OVA fluid was impacted by operating conditions.•The pH responsiveness accelerated the separation of OVA/oil mixture from washing effluents.•Separated precipitate can be degraded through thermal decomposition and biodegradation.