Candle soot nanoparticle embedded nanofibrous membrane for separation of miscible and immiscible oil/water mixtures

Abstract

Candle soot (CS) nanoparticles exhibit excellent superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties, making them an ideal absorbent for separating oil and oil/water mixtures. Although their cost‐effectiveness is attractive, the challenges associated with recovering soot nanoparticles after oil absorption and producing secondary pollutants have limited their attention. Our study demonstrates the synthesis of CS nanoparticles embedded polystyrene (PS) nanofibrous membranes with excellent stability, surface‐to‐volume ratios, and flexibility. CS‐incorporated composite membrane with a rough surface showed a water contact angle (WCA) of 156° ± 1.5°, about 20% higher than the smooth pristine PS membrane. The CS‐based composite membrane also demonstrated improved performance as an absorbent, owing to its hydrophobic characteristics linked with surface roughness when employed for separating oil from oil/water mixtures. Furthermore, when exposed to four different oils, the CS‐based membrane displayed a higher absorption capacity (up to ≈120 g oil/g membrane) than the pristine membrane. Using a gravity‐assisted continuous oil/water separation setup, we measured the oil permeate flux using nanofiber mats as a membrane. Compared to the original membrane, the modified membrane showed enhanced oil permeate flux of ~2873 ± 122 L m−2 h−1 and separation efficiency of over 99%.

Polystyrene Nanofibrous Membrane Infused with TiO2 Nanoparticles by a One-Step Electrospinning Process for Effective Oil–Water Separation

“…14 However, pristine PS nanofiber webs exhibited limited separation efficiency, permeate flux, and inefficiency in separating the oil−water emulsion mixtures. 15,16 To overcome these challenges, various low-surface-energy nanoparticles were impregnated into the nanofibrous membranes to enhance their roughness, mechanical strength, hydrophobicity, chemical and thermal resistance, and capability to separate the emulsion mixtures. Examples of these nanoparticles include SiO works, etc., which have been successfully impregnated into the nanofibers, effectively separating the oil−water mixtures.…”

“…Moreover, these electrospun composite nanofibrous membranes are well-suited for separating emulsion mixtures, as their entangled structure facilitates the effective permeation of oil while repelling water within the emulsion mixtures. 16,20 TiO 2 -based composite nanofibrous membranes, despite their chemical stability, thermal stability, mechanical strength, and environmental friendliness, have received minimal attention for oil−water separation. 21,22 TiO 2 , integrated into the host material, is utilized to modulate the surface wettability through two distinct approaches.…”

TiS2 Nanoparticle-Anchored Candle-Soot Decorated Carbon Nanofiber-Based Hydrophobic/Oleophilic Membrane for Oil/Water Separation

“…36 To overcome these challenges, CS could be deposited on surfaces based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), paraffin wax, or methyltriethoxysilane, or combined with a polymer precursor solution before electrospinning to develop stable hydrophobic surfaces. 37 For example, Baig et al 38 used a simple technique to develop highly efficient CNF/PDMS-based foam composites for oil/water separation. The foam composite (0.67 g) is found to be capable of absorbing 1.72 g of crude oil.…”

“…CS has remarkable properties, but their poor adhesion and difficulty in recovery limit their use for oil/water separation . To overcome these challenges, CS could be deposited on surfaces based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), paraffin wax, or methyltriethoxysilane, or combined with a polymer precursor solution before electrospinning to develop stable hydrophobic surfaces . For example, Baig et al used a simple technique to develop highly efficient CNF/PDMS-based foam composites for oil/water separation.…”

Developing a photothermal anti/deicing fluor‐free composite coating with high wear resistance and liquid impalement resistance based on a new biobased benzoxazine resin and polydopamine‐coated aluminum nitride

“…Up‐to‐date, mechanical, 5,6 electrothermal, 7,8 and solvent 9 deicing technologies have been developed, but they have problems such as low efficiency, high energy consumption, and environmental pollution. Different anti‐icing strategies, including superhydrophobic surfaces 10–13 and porous oil‐filled smooth surfaces, 14 were also proposed to reduce the occurrence of icing formation; however, these surfaces usually have poor stability and short service life, while the preparation of porous oil‐filled smooth surfaces is complicated.…”