IE-T-DO4

RESEARCH PLAN
Fabrication and Evaluation
of COSMOS: Cellulosic Oil
Sorbent utilizing Moringa
(M. oleifera) Stalks
in Diesel Oil

CLARK WILLIAM D. MACOL

RINOA JADE A. MALABANAN
KIRK FRANCIS WHYNN L. BALLESTER
Student Researchers

CEEJAY P. ISAAC
Research Adviser

DONATO A. BATACLAN
School Head

SY 2024-2025
FABRICATION AND EVALUATION OF COSMOS: CELLULOSIC OIL SORBENT
UTILIZING MORINGA (M. oleifera) STALKS IN DIESEL OIL

CLARK WILLIAM D. MACOL

RINOA JADE A. MALABANAN
KIRK FRANCIS L. BALLESTER

A. RATIONALE

Oil is always present in our daily lives. It is in the food we eat, what we travel with,

what we apply to our skin, and even in our daily activities, that oil runs the world (Bridge &

Le Billion, 2017). In particular, crude oil is a form of unpurified oil mixture that can be

separated through distillation. Every minute, millions of dollars are traded for this crude oil.

According to The Observatory of Economic Complexity in 2022, the Philippines exported

$385M and imported $3.32B of crude oil, making oil the 38th exported and 5th imported

product in the Philippines only. Crude oil has varied usages, one of which is to supply the

world with energy. Crude oil is one of the primary sources of fuel that supplies the world

with energy (Zhang et. al, 2015). In fact, according to BP, 2018, in 2017, crude oil

accumulated 34.21% of the total primary energy supply, far greater than any other energy

source. Countries usually trade this crude oil via ships that set sail on the ocean to

neighboring shores to transfer it. Due to the nature of delivery, usual send-offs could lead to

incidents called “oil spills”.

Oil spills are the aftermath of the release of oil from tankers and large ships

(Bhattacharjee & Dutta, 2022). On July 25, 2024, on the coast of the Philippines, tankers MT

Terra Nova, MKTR Jason Bradley, and MV Mirola 1 capsized, MT Terra Nova being the

major one spilling over 1.4 million liters of crude oil (Macababbad, 2024). Due to this,

Cavite, Philippines, a heavily affected province, even declared a state of calamity in the cities

of Bacoor, Kawit, Maragondon, Naic, Noveleta, Rosario, Tanza, and Ternate. When oil is
spilled at the sea, it initially spreads out by winds and currents. Within this time range, oil

spills usually undergo various chemical and physical reactions, mainly the root cause of

weathering, oxidation, evaporation, biodegradation, and emulsification in the waters. Because

of this major disturbance, marine ecology is exposed to the threats caused by the oil spill

(Saadoun, 2015). Generally, the toxic effects of the oil depend on many factors, but if

subjected to toxicity beyond the threshold of these hydrocarbons, it will cause mortality. Oil

has oxidative and carcinogenic properties that could attack DNA and proteins. Inhaling

hydrocarbon glasses also can cause various respiratory issues as oil is one of the products that

usually carries the economic stability of the country, oil spill incidents like this cause a huge

loss, not just for the resident fishermen, but also for the marine economy. Hence explaining

how useful and toxic oil is at the same time.

Moreover, oil spills are most typically caused by incidents involving tankers, barges,

pipelines, refineries, drilling rigs, and storage facilities; however, recreational boats can also

dump oil into the sea or marinas. Spills can occur due to human error or negligence, or when

equipment fails. (NOAA, 2020). Animals can suffer from both internal and exterior exposure

to oil spills. The species most impacted by them are frequently those that dwell on or near the

sea surface. As oil is spilled into the environment, habitat destruction may affect migration

patterns, interrupt animal life cycles, and cause erosion of shorelines. Furthermore, oil spills

have the potential to close beaches, parks, and waterways, as well as recreational and

commercial fishing. Hunting and boating restrictions may also be in effect. As a result, local

economies may suffer in both the short and long term (DARRP, 2024). The Philippines, an

archipelagic country, is highly engaged in internal and international maritime activities for

shipping commodities and people (Boquet, 2017, as cited by Alea et. al., 2022). These factors

make the Philippines susceptible to oil spills. According to an accumulation of data from the

PCG database, NDRRMC, and media sources, there were 467 disclosed oil spills in the
Philippines between 2000 and 2021. Out of these, 14 were crucial, 62 were moderate, 306

were minor, along with 85 were undetermined cases (Alea et. al., 2022). The destruction of

these habitats causes long-term ecological damage and puts the coastal nation at risk from

more severe storms in the future (Gunkel & Sierra, 2024).

The long-term effects of oil spills and leakage of water-insoluble organic liquids on the

environment have called for an urgent need to develop advanced materials and technologies

for the removal of oil and water-insoluble organic liquids from the surface of water.

Nowadays, the most commonly used materials and technologies for oil spill remediation

today can be divided into four categories: chemical methods, situ burning, bioremediation,

and mechanical recovery. Among these methods and technologies, sorbent materials are

mostly used for oil spill removal because of the potential for the collection and removal of oil

from the water surface while having no adverse effect on the environment (Ge et al., 2016).

According to Al-Majed et al. (2021), the use of natural sorbents to clean up oil spills is very

effective, and apparently, the most eco-friendly sorbent. By this, the use of those natural

sorbents may not be economical in such locations. With this, the study of the applicability of

other available natural products abundant in the region is imperative, particularly using waste

products, such as coconut shells, corn cobs, banana pith, and sugarcane bagasse. Other than

that, the use of human hair and animal skins or hair/fur is also considered an effective natural

sorbent. Additionally, the use of sorbents, such as fiber sheets, alumina, silica, zeolites, clay,

wool, sawdust, alumina-phosphates, polystyrene, polypropylene, and organic gels are

considered as a potential approach for the removal of various oil spills and organic solvents.

However, these sorbents have certain drawbacks including their low sorption capacities,

production of toxic wastes, poor buoyancy characteristics, and low recovery efficiencies

(Adebajo et al., 2003). With that, developing lightweight materials with high sorption
capacity, chemical inertness, and environmental friendliness is critical for oil spill response

operations (Shiu et al., 2018).

By this, developing an easy-to-operate and eco-friendly adsorbent is an effective

method to deal with the problem of marine wastewater. In recent years, adsorbents with a

three-dimensional porous structure which has the advantages of a large surface area, high

porosity, high absorption capacity, and special wettability have received widespread

attention. Moreover, the detailed process and feasible mechanism of high-viscosity crude oil

absorption are not yet understood, which limits the design and application of high-efficiency

adsorbents. Given these shortcomings, it is extremely important to find alternatives that are

environmentally safe, cost-effective, more effective, and sustainable. The utilization of

biomass materials as raw materials for adsorbent production is becoming increasingly

common due to its natural abundance, low cost, biodegradability, and environmental

friendliness. Examples of these materials include the 3D-printed biomimetic super-

hydrophobic structure, graphene nanoribbon/polyurethane sponge, and nanofibrous cellulose

membrane (Cai et al., 2021). In line with this, Cai et al., (2021) have proposed a study

entitled, “Wood Sponge Reinforced with Polyvinyl Alcohol for Sustainable Oil–Water

Separation” wherein the poplar wood (Populustomentosa) was used as the raw material to

prepare the wood sponge with better oil/water separation ability. The study shows the

potential of wood sponges as a reusable oil-water separation due to low cost, high efficiency,

high performance, biodegradability, environmental friendliness, and other advantages. The

process of the study was done by the lignin and hemicellulose being removed from the

natural wood, and followed by the action of freeze drying, the wood sponge was prepared.

Then, followed by immersing the wood sponge in polyvinyl alcohol solution (PVA) and

dipping it in polydimethylsiloxane solution, the target PVA-reinforced wood sponge with

better mechanical compressibility and hydrophobic properties was obtained. The new wood
sponge showed high mechanical compressibility (reversible compression rate of 40%) and

elastic recovery rate (the height retention rate was about 100% after 200 cycles of 30%

strain). It also showed excellent hydrophobic and oleophilic properties, the water contact

angle was up to 138°, and the oil absorption capacity was 25 g·g-¹. The ability of oil

absorption can be recovered by compression, and the high absorption rate was maintained

after 50 cycles.

In line with this, a study by Du et al. (2023)

also proposed a wood sponge study wherein they created a simple yet effective strat

“Highly Compressible Wood Sponges with a Spring-like Lamellar

Structure as Effective and Reusable Oil Absorbents” (Guan et al., 2018) also proved the

effectiveness of wood sponges for large-scale and small-scale use in oil clean up. The

researchers tested the sponge to make sure it selectively absorbed oil and could be reused

multiple times. Using a red-dyed oil and water mixture, they found that their sponge only

absorbed the red oil, leaving clear water behind. They also reused the sponge 10 times and

found its absorbency didn’t suffer after being reused. Considering these present solutions for

the leakage of oil, moringa wood was evaluated in terms of its chemical composition,

morphological features, kraft pulping behavior, ECF bleaching, and mechanical strength
properties by Sharma et al. (2021). Moringa was found to have the following composition:

holocellulose 65.5%, lignin 20.5%, pentosan 11.6%, α-cellulose 40.5%, and extractive

content 5.15%. It has been found that the chemical composition of moringa is similar to other

hardwoods. This indicates that moringa has a enough concentration of lignin and cellulose

fibers to utilize for the wood sponge. However, in consideration of the production of waste,

moringa stalks are the small leaf branches to which the leaves are directly attached. When

leaves are utilized, the leaves are separated from the stalks which are usually thrown away or

considered tree wastes (Magat et al., 2009).

Taking these studies and present solutions into consideration, this study focused on

innovating and creating a low-cost and efficient wood-based sorbent that can be used to

absorb diesel oil from oil spills. It is experimented and evaluated based on how it can absorb

diesel oil. With this, Fabrication and Evaluation of COSMOS: Cellulosic Oil Sorbent

utilizing (M. oleifera) Stalks in Diesel Oil would like to find out its contribution and

significance in mitigating oil spills and its harmful effects in the bodies of water, to find out if

COSMOS has what it takes to be a potential alternative solution for an alarming state of

multiple oil spills.

B.1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study entitled “Fabrication and Evaluation of COSMOS: Cellulosic Oil Sorbent

utilizing Moringa (M. oleifera) Stalks in Diesel Oil” seeks to fabricate and evaluate the

effectivity of COSMOS as a wood-based oil sorbent.

Specifically, this research study pursues to answer the following questions:

1. What is the exact amount of diesel oil before and after applying COSMOS?

2. What is the COSMOS effectiveness rate in the following mechanical properties before

and after?
 A. Porosity

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

B. Absorption Capability

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

3. Is there a significant difference in the amount of diesel oil before and after the

application of COSMOS?

4. Is there a significant difference before and after the immersion of COSMOS in diesel

oil in terms of its effectivity rate in the following mechanical properties?

A. Porosity

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

B. Absorption Capability

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

B.2. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

HO1: There is no significant difference in the amount of diesel oil before and after the

application of COSMOS.
 HO2: There is no significant difference before and after the immersion of COSMOS in

diesel oil in terms of its effectivity rate in the following mechanical properties:

A. Porosity

a.5 hours

b. 10 hours

c.15 hours

B. Absorption Capability

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

HA1: There is a significant difference in the amount of diesel oil before and after the

application of COSMOS.

HA2: There is a significant difference before and after the immersion of COSMOS in

diesel oil in terms of its effectivity rate in the following mechanical properties:

A. Porosity

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

B. Absorption Capability

a. 5 hours

b. 10 hours

c. 15 hours

B.3. ENGINEERING GOALS

Oil spills are one of the common causes of many environmental risks. To find a

solution, the researchers seek to fabricate and evaluate COSMOS: A Cellulosic Oil-Sorbent
utilizing Moringa oleifera Stalks. It will be cut exactly 1.5 cm × 2 cm × 2 cm before oven

drying. The lignin and hemicellulose will then be removed using NaOH aqueous solution and

H2O2 aqueous solution. Its design is expected to be done as shown in the figure below.

1.5 cm

Figure 1. COSMOS prototype design. (Rendered by K. Ballester)

B.4. EXPECTED OUTCOMES

This research is expected to successfully create an oil sorbent utilizing moringa (M.

oleifera) stalks that can be used to absorb diesel oil. This study mainly focuses on offering a

solution to mitigate widespread problems from oil spills that cause such environmental

problems.
 The effectiveness of COSMOS is expected to be identified by evaluating the amount

of diesel oil before placing COSMOS compared to the amount of diesel oil after placing the

COSMOS with the use of a dependent sample T-test. In addition to that, the mechanical

properties specifically; porosity, and absorption capacity will also be evaluated with the use

of a dependent sample T-test using the Data Analysis Tool pack on MS Excel. Overall, the

study is expected to successfully fabricate a wood-based oil sorbent from moringa (M.

oleifera) stalks that can absorb diesel oil and has a high effectiveness rate in its mechanical

properties. The sorbent is expected to have a high porosity and a high absorption capacity.

C.1. PROCEDURE

Figure 2. Process Flowchart

Phase 1. Gathering of Materials

The research will commence with the collection of materials. To be precise, materials

like Moringa wood that will be used in constructing COSMOS as a potential wood-based

sorbent due to its lignin and cellulose will be gathered from the researcher’s neighborhood.

Additionally, chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide will be acquired
from a hospital laboratory, and pharmacies around Cavite. Moreover, diesel oil will also be

needed for the analysis and will mainly be obtained within the areas in Cavite, Philippines.

Phase 2. Fabrication of COSMOS

The development of COSMOS will begin with the slicing of collected moringa stalks

with sizes 2 cm in height, 1.5 cm in width, and 2 cm in length. After slicing, the obtained

moringa stalks block will be dried by oven-drying for 2-4 hours, up until the stalks are fully

dried up and there’s no more moisture in the stalks. The moringa stalks after drying would

look rigid and moisture-less, making it a wood-block-like structure.

The moringa stalks will undergo delignification. In this process, the moringa stalk

block will be submerged in a 7% sodium hydroxide aqueous solution (Du et. al., 2023). This

is to remove hemicellulose and lignin from the structure (Guan et.al., 2018). After the

removal of hemicellulose and lignin, the lignin exoskeleton will retain, forming a wood

sorbent with high porosity and very low density (Cai et.al., 2021). It will be then submerged

in a 3% hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution (H2O2) for bleaching (Huang et. al., 2022). This

is to further improve the porosity to achieve a more absorbent wood.

Phase 3. Preparation of Diesel Oil

Diesel oil will be prepared to be used as the dependent variable in the study and to

prove COSMOS efficacy. 10g of diesel will be placed in three (3) separate beakers, and then

set aside. The three (3) beakers will be labeled as trial 1, trial 2, and trial 3.

Phase 4. Analysis before treatment

The researchers will first weigh the diesel oil before the application of COSMOS.

This will be tested for three (3) trials. After that, it will be placed in Table 1: before and after

the application of COSMOS, which will be used later in the data analysis.
Table 1: Before and after the application of COSMOS

Weight of Diesel Oil (In grams)

Trials Before COSMOS’ Application After COSMOS’ Application
1
2
3

Phase 5. Experimentation

After the measurement before the application, the researchers will apply COSMOS in

the diesel oil for a total of 15 hours. After every 5 hours, 10 hours, and 15 hours, the sorbent

will be weighed as the oil absorbance increases with time. This will be repeated for three (3)

trials. After the 15-hour experiment, the diesel oil will be weighed again. The data that will

be gathered from this will be placed in Table 1: before and after the application of COSMOS.

Then, the data collected from the weight of COSMOS will also be considered and placed in

Table 2: weight of COSMOS, which will be used later in data analysis.

Table 2: Weight of COSMOS

Weight of COSMOS (In grams)

Before Immersion After Immersion
Trials 0hr 5hrs 10hrs 15hrs
1
2
3
After collecting the before and after the treatment, the researchers will compute the

porosity of the sorbent based on the results of the three (3) trials. Therefore, the formula by

Cai et.al. (2021) will be utilized:

(m2−m1)/d
Porosity= ×100 %
l× w × h

Where m1 = weight of COSMOS before the absorption, m 2 = weight of COSMOS after

absorption, d = weight of the diesel, l = length of COSMOS, w = width of COSMOS, and h =

height of COSMOS.
 The absorption capability will also be computed using the formula:

Absorption capability=(m4−m3 )/m3

Where m3 and m4 are the weight of COSMOS before and after the absorptions

respectively (Cai et.al., 2021). After the analysis, the data computed will be placed in Table

4: Absorption capability of COSMOS

C.2. RISK AND SAFETY

The researchers may be required to take many measures due to the risk that the study

may pose during the process. In the construction of COSMOS, eye irritation and skin

irritation such as burns may occur due to the chemical treatment for COSMOS and slicing

of the moringa stalks off. To reduce this risk, the researchers ought to employ safety

precautions and practice correct equipment management. Other than that, the researchers will

need a designated supervisor to perform the experimentation as it involves handling

chemicals such as NaOH and H₂O₂ that might also have detrimental effects on health.

Prolonged exposure or inhalation of the said chemicals is hazardous to human health, since it

has been linked with asthma, and continuous inhalation of chemicals could permanently harm

the lungs. To circumvent this risk, the researchers are advised to put on face masks and other

safety gear such as gloves, and wear long-sleeved clothes to avoid any contact with the

chemicals.

C.3. DATA ANALYSIS

The researchers will analyze and interpret the data that will be collected by doing tests

such as the significant difference in the amount of diesel oil before placing the COSMOS and

the amount of diesel oil after putting the COSMOS with the use of a paired t-test or a

dependent sample t-test on Microsoft Excel and Jamovi software. This test will be done to

assess the effectiveness of COSMOS as an oil sorbent.

 On the other hand, a dependent sample t-test will be used to determine if there is a

significant difference in the effectiveness rate of COSMOS before and after the immersion in

diesel oil in terms of their mechanical properties: porosity, and absorbing capacity. This test

will be done to evaluate if COSMOS is an effective oil sorbent in terms of its mechanical

properties and strength.

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Du, B., Li, B., Yang, K., Chao, Yi., Luo, R., Zhuo, S., Huailin. L. (2023). Superhydrophobic
wood sponge with intelligent pH responsiveness for efficient and continuous oil-water
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