In this study, we investigated the effects of CuO/TiO2 nanofluids for oil spill remediation in sandy soil. The average particle
sizes of the synthetized TiO2/CuO nanoparticles were found to be 10.61 and 29.82 nm. The nanofluids were prepared, and
their stability was evaluated using physical sedimentation, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements.
However, the nanofluids were able to reduce the contact angle from 48° to 29° and the viscosity from 0.48 to 0.3 Pa s. TiO2
nanofluid raised oil recovery from 48% (water) to 92%, cut IFT from 63 to 12 mN m⁻1, and lowered viscosity to 0.21 Pa s.
CuO nanofluid lifted oil recovery from 48% (water) to 85%, trimmed IFT from 63 to 14 mN m⁻1, and cut viscosity to 0.23 Pa s
at 338 K. The sand core flooding experiments showed that TiO2 nanofluid has great potential in recovering the oil from the
sand by 92% compared to CuO nanofluid with an 85% recovery rate at 0 °C. Furthermore, reusability was found to be cost
effective, efficient, resource-conserving, and to minimize the environmental impact that may arise from their disposal. The
results showed that TiO2 nanofluid was able to recover 74% and CuO nanofluid with 70% recovery efficiency. The higher
recovery rate of reused nanofluids makes it economically feasible and sustainable in marine settings where waste treatment
is required. Overall, the results from this study suggested that nanofluids have great potential for oil spill remediation on
sandy beaches, with great potential for reusability and marine application.
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