Natural biomass-based sorbents are attracting increasing attention as environmentally friendly and cost-effective materials for the remediation of water bodies contaminated by petroleum products and organic pollutants. In this study, the hydration behavior and buoyancy performance of Typha latifolia seed fibers were systematically investigated in order to assess their potential as natural biosorbents. The plant material was collected from natural water bodies in Northern Kazakhstan and used without chemical modification. Morphological characterization was performed using optical microscopy combined with digital morphometric analysis. The seed fibers exhibited a thin, elongated, and branched structure with diameters ranging from 16 to 36 μm, providing a high surface-area-to-volume ratio. The initial moisture content of the fibers was determined by gravimetric analysis and averaged 7.90%, indicating low density and suitability for long-term storage. Drying kinetics revealed that a constant mass was achieved after approximately 8 hours at 105 °C. Buoyancy and hydration experiments were carried out in distilled water for different sample masses over exposure periods of 24, 48, and 72 hours. The maximum buoyancy coefficient reached 0.0980 for low-mass samples after 72 hours, demonstrating the ability of the fibers to remain on the water surface for extended periods. The degree of hydration increased with exposure time and was most pronounced for lighter samples, reaching up to 33.86%. The obtained results confirm that Typha latifolia seed fibers combine favorable morphological features, high buoyancy, and significant water retention capacity. These properties make them promising candidates for the development of natural biosorbents intended for water purification and oil spill response applications.









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