Investigation of Oil Absorption Properties of Polypropylene Nonwovens Containing Different Types of Diatomite Produced by Meltblown Technique

In this study, two types of diatomite were incorporated into polypropylene and nonwoven fabrics were produced by meltblown technique. Apart from the various chemical, mineralogical and morphological analyses, both diatomites and the produced nonwovens were evaluated in terms of water and oil wettability and oil absorption performance. Rust inhibitor oil absorption of the diatomite containing nonwovens was improved by 134% (RDE1 diatomite) and 245% (RDE2 diatomite), while depending on the diatomite type used linseed oil, hydraulic oil, and diesel oil absorption values were deteriorated by 268-742%, 409-734%, and 732- 1101%, respectively. Generally, diatomite addition worsened the oil absorption in high viscous oils and improved in low viscous oils