Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn Mucilage as a Sorbent Material for Oil Spill Remedies

IJEP 46(9): 851-858 : Vol. 46 Issue 9 (September 2026)

Full Text

Afrida Hussain* and Prasurya Borah

Cotton University, Department of Botany, Guwahati – 781 001, Assam, India

Abstract

Oil spills are the leakage or discharge of oil into water bodies due to accidents during transportation, extraction, refining or storage of petroleum. They can occur from offshore platforms, ships, pipelines and drilling rigs during exploration activities, as well as from accidental blowouts from oil wells. They create a layer on the water’s surface that blocks sunlight and reduces oxygen exchange, causing extensive damage to marine ecosystems. Chemical dispersants are widely used to disperse oil spills, but they are toxic to aquatic animals. Therefore, this study focuses on extracting mucilage from the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn plant for its potential application as a competitive sorbent material. Fresh leaves were collected, washed, dried and treated with acetone to precipitate the mucilage. The mucilage tested positive for carbohydrates, especially reducing sugars, and protein, while negative results were observed for alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids. This indicates that H. rosa-sinensis mucilage will be safe for aquatic flora and fauna. Further analysis revealed ideal pH, swelling index, moisture content, viscosity and surface tension. The mucilage exhibited strong water- and oil-holding capacities because of the presence of both hydrophilic heads and oleophilic tails. Natural polymers have been widely used because they are biodegradable, non-toxic and highly biocompatible. The mucilage extracted from Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn offers a promising alternative for oil spill remediation.

Keywords

Oil spill, Sorbent, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Mucilage

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