A novel method for the remediation of environmental impacts of oil spills using poly carboxymethylcellulose coated (Fe2O3, Al2O3, and Ag) nanoparticles

Large-scale oil spills and the discharge of oily effluents from ships and industrial operations pose serious environmental threats and often result in significant economic consequences. Conventional cleanup methods remain largely ineffective and may themselves cause ecological damage, yet nanotechnology offers a promising alternative for addressing oil contamination. In this study, polycarboxymethycellulose-coated nanoparticles (Fe2O3, Al2O3, and Ag) were synthesized via a simple, cost-effective hydrothermal technique and applied to remove Basra crude oil (API-32) from synthetic seawater under realistic environmental conditions. The physicochemical properties of these materials were characterized using FTIR and SEM analyses, while fluorescence and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed near-complete oil-water separation under optimized conditions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry results showed that approximately 100 percent of lower molecular weight alkanes (C9–C21) were eliminated within 6 hours, and extending treatment to 24 hours removed more than 67 percent of C22–C25 alkanes. Among the tested materials, CMC-coated Ag nanoparticles demonstrated the highest removal efficiency at an optimal loading of 1.6 wt percent, with disintegration order following Ag > Fe2O3 > Al2O3. The superior performance of nano-Ag is attributed to its greater surface area, smaller particle size, homogeneous morphology, and strong oil adsorption capacity. Additionally, preliminary investigations assessed potential genotoxic effects and, for the first time, examined the ability of these nanoparticles to mitigate crude oil-induced genotoxicity in vivo, confirming their potential for rapid and effective oil removal.