2026-10-14T07:08:58Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/34046536 2026-10-01T15:14:15Z category_4 category_146 category_7 category_21 category_272 category_873 category_39 category_734 category_106 portal_63 item_type_6 month_year_10_2026

Surface Hydrophobization of Glass Wool Fibers via Methyltrimethoxysilane Silanization for Polyethylene-Based Microplastic Filtration Cansu Kurtuluş (25157119) Ahmet Işık (25157122) Biochemistry Space Science Medicine Biotechnology Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Chemical Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified Science Policy stable turbidity values scanning electron microscopy modified material retained methyl groups resulted mechanical entrapment within 60 ° c filtration experiments revealed surface carbon content ray photoelectron spectroscopy increased surface roughness enhanced hydrophobic interactions contact angle measurements reusability tests showed waste glass wool glass wool waste rt ), 40 limited microplastic retention facilitating effective silanization based surface modification based microplastic filtration potential filtration medium xps results showed glass wool filtration medium surface modification based layer surface properties surface hydrophobization hydrophobic behavior ftir spectroscopy contact angles consistent results best results yielding low various temperatures various concentrations study examines study demonstrates silicon signals room temperature fibrous structure containing suspensions conditions tested combined effect aqueous suspensions This study examines the surface modification of glass wool waste for the removal of polyethylene (PE) microplastics from aqueous suspensions. The modification strategy included sequential cleaning, pretreatment with NaOH at various concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1 M), and coating with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) at various temperatures (room temperature (RT), 40, and 60 °C). The aim is to modify the surface properties of glass wool and evaluate its potential as a filtration medium. FTIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that alkaline pretreatment increases surface hydroxylation, facilitating effective silanization. The introduction of methyl groups resulted in a transition from hydrophilic to hydrophobic behavior, with contact angles for the modified samples exceeding 130°. XPS results showed an increase in surface carbon content, accompanied by decreases in oxygen and silicon signals, indicating the formation of an organosilane-based layer. Filtration experiments revealed that untreated glass wool exhibited unstable and limited microplastic retention, whereas the modified samples demonstrated significantly improved and more consistent results. Among the conditions tested, the best results were achieved with a combination of 1 M NaOH pretreatment and silanization at 60 °C, yielding low, stable turbidity values. The observed performance is attributed to the combined effect of enhanced hydrophobic interactions, increased surface roughness, and mechanical entrapment within the fibrous structure. Reusability tests showed that the modified material retained its microplastic-removal ability across multiple cycles, although some variability in performance was observed. Overall, this study demonstrates that an MTMS-based surface modification can improve the suitability of waste glass wool as a potential filtration medium for microplastic-containing suspensions. 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z Text Journal contribution 10.1021/acsomega.6c05772.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Surface_Hydrophobization_of_Glass_Wool_Fibers_via_Methyltrimethoxysilane_Silanization_for_Polyethylene-Based_Microplastic_Filtration/34046536 CC BY-NC 4.0