Novel All-Natural Material for Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

Traditional oil/water separation materials were prepared with partial or all nonrenewable raw materials, which would not only increase resource consumption but also cause new environmental pollution after being abandoned. In this work, a superhydrophobic and superoleophilic oil/water separation all-natural material was prepared using a simple and fast emulsion immersing method. The raw materials used including natural sponges and natural vegetable waxes, all of which are renewable. The as-prepared all-natural material can not only absorb various oils from water with high oil absorption capacity, fast oil absorption rate, and good recyclability but also achieve reuse of the absorbed oil by squeezing. In addition, the as-prepared all-natural material exhibits strong stability against cyclic compression, excellent resistance to corrosive aqueous solutions contacting, and organic solvents immersing. Furthermore, the surface wax coating can be easily recycled. This work provides a new method to prepare oil/water separation materials by using all-natural and renewable raw materials.

Superswelling Hybrid Sponge from Water Glass for Selective Absorption of Crude Oil and Organic Solvents

“…6 When natural fibers are used, being hygroscopic, a compromise in the selectivity of the absorbent is evident. 17,18…”

Photochemically Produced Superhydrophobic Silane@polystyrene‐Coated Polypropylene Fibrous Network for Oil/Water Separation

“…For instance, the Lotus leaf is an incredible example of the plants that have natural superhydrophobic surfaces [16] . The detailed study has shown that the lotus leaf has possessed superhydrophobicity due to the low surface energy wax layer and the surface roughness generated by microstructures [17] . Inspired by nature, several efforts are made to develop synthetic superhydrophobic surfaces for oil/water separation [18,19] .…”

Application of Different Vegetable Fibers as Natural Sorbents and Their Use in Water Decontamination from Crude Oil

“…Traditional oil-water separation materials are mostly prepared from nonrenewable raw materials, which not only increases the consumption of resources but also causes further environmental pollution after abandonment [6]. In addition, the process of preparing organic synthetic products is sophisticated and costly.…”

“…In recent years, several studies have been conducted on oil cleaning using natural materials, such as cotton [5,[9][10][11], kapok fiber [5,11], peat [12], wheat and barley straw [13,14], palm tree leaves or pith waste [15,16] banana trunk fibers [16,17], different cellulose-based materials [18,19], and natural sponge [6], among others. For sustainable and effective oil spill treatment, bio-based materials should be studied extensively, as one material is unlikely to be suitable in all possible oil spill scenarios [8].…”