Acetylation of banana fibre to improve oil absorbency

► Banana fibre was acetylated using N-Bromosuccinimide (NBS) as catalyst. ► The acetylated Banana fibre was used for oil spill recovery. ► Its oil sorption capacities were much greater than those of synthetic sorbents such as polypropylene fibre. ► It is also possible to reuse the acetylated banana fibre for oil sorption.