Oily wastewater is an urgent issue threatening the ecosystem and human health. Superhydrophobic porous materials are widely concerned as promising candidates for effective oil/water separation and oil adsorption. However, superhydrophobic porous materials are still confronted with frustrations such as complex preparation processes and secondary pollution to the environment. Superhydrophobic porous materials with biodegradability and a relatively simple preparation process are more attractive to practical application and environmental protection. In this work, biodegradable and industrially applied polylactic acid (PLA)nonwoven materials were used as porous membranes, then PLA nanoparticles were loaded on the membrane surface to construct the hierarchical rough structure. The modi ed PLA nonwoven membrane (Nano-PLA) shows superhydrophobicity and e cient oil/water separation performance. Moreover, strong mechanical strength and acceptable toughness are obtained. This work offers an easily controlled and industrially used pathway for the design of robust, highly selective, and biodegradable oil/water separation materials.
Oily wastewater has always been an environmental issue that we are concerned about and committed to managing. Although the superwetting membranes have been extensively studied and widely used in oil/water separation, the abundant discarded membranes are still headaches due to their non-degradable nature. In this work, all-around green, as well as superhydrophilic polylactic acid (PLA) nonwoven membrane, is designed by coating cellulose nanospheres (CNCs) with the aid of polydopamine (PDA). Abundant hydroxyl groups and hierarchical rough structure synergistically contribute to the superhydrophilicity and excellent oil/water separation performance of the resultant CNCs/PDA/PLA nonwoven membrane. Interestingly, the oil/water separation e ciency can be maintained above 98% after 100 times of repeated use. With outstanding durability, and easy controllability, the CNCs/PDA/PLA nonwoven membrane may provide effective solutions to simultaneously manage the oily wastewater and secondary pollution of the used membrane itself.
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