Mary-Joan Chikaodili Oledibe

Mary-Joan Chikaodili Oledibe

Email: c0041452@hallam.shu.ac.uk
Research Centre: MERI
Research Group: Laboratory group
PhD Thesis Title: Development of a poly(ethylene) based sorbent for removing crude oil from water
Director of Studies: Dr. Francis Clegg
Supervisor: Prof. Chris Samon

SUMMARY

Mary-Joan Oledibe, an environmental development researcher from Enugu State, Nigeria, excels in fostering sustainable practices.

She holds top grades in Chemical Engineering and earned the prestigious Petroleum Technology Development Fund scholarship for her PhD at Sheffield Hallam University, UK, due to her academic excellence and commitment to social causes.

RESEARCH

Waste polyethylene (PE) water sachets were purposely selected for this research work for their chemical resistance, low cost, hydrophobic nature, and most significantly as a means of repurposing polyethylene waste from the environment. Surface modifications on the polyethylene were investigated to alter the surface chemistry and increase the surface energy, making it more hydrophilic.

The developed sorbents could adsorb multiple times their weight and could be reused over 20 cycles to sorb crude oil spilled on the water’s surface. The optimum conditions for the most efficient usage were determined to achieve a scalable, cost-effective sorbent.

This process achieved a high adsorption capacity and efficiency. It is a sustainable oil spill remediation solution for small- and large-scale spills. This sorbent could be commercially developed on a large scale and deployed in emergencies for the final clean-up of crude oil spills.