Absorbent non-woven fabrics from renewable and biodegradable polymers were developed by electrospinning in this study. Two polymers were used: poly(lactic acid) (PLA), which is a biodegradable, renewable hydrophobic polymer, and cellulose acetate (CA), which is a derivative from cellulose. Poremetry of the electrospun non-woven fabrics was measured by a capillary flow porometer. Electrospun non-woven fabrics with nanoscale diameter fibers acted as sponges to absorb the chemicals. The electrospun fabrics and conventional woven fabrics were used to compare the effects of fiber size and fabric structure on absorption capacity and selectivity. Water, mineral oil and dyes with varying octanol/water partition coefficients (Log Kow values) were used as model compounds to study the absorption behavior of the non-woven fabrics. Both fabric structure and the surface chemistry of the fibers had significant impact on the quantity of material absorbed and the absorption rate.