Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes: An Effective Arsenal for the Purification of Emulsified Oily Wastewater

Abstract

Oil spills and the release of oily sewage from domestic and industrial activities have not only imposed a huge threat to all living beings in the ecosystem but have also exacerbated water scarcity. To address such issues, the development of advanced materials and technologies for the purification of emulsified oily wastewater has garnered great concern and become a central topic. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with intriguing advantages, including tunable wettability, diverse structures, good connectivity, and ease of scalable production, have generated significant interest and are showing great promise for treating emulsified oily wastewater. Here, a systematic overview of the rational design and controlled fabrication of nanofibrous membranes toward the separation of oil‐in‐water emulsions is given. Some design considerations about the fabrication of membranes for emulsion separation are presented as a starting point for the discussion. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with desirable wettability and rational structure are then introduced and classified as polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid membranes in terms of raw material components. The different design concepts, fabrication strategies, and performance characteristics of each type are comprehensively discussed. Furthermore, significant properties are presented, which are required by membranes in practical applications. Finally, the challenges and future development trends in this field are highlighted.

Sphagnum Inspired g‐C3N4 Nano/Microspheres with Smaller Bandgap in Heterojunction Membranes for Sunlight‐Driven Water Purification

“…The special wettability of the CNTsPAA/CNMS20 composite membrane was mainly attributed to its chemical composition and interface morphology. [26] Due to its superhy drophilicity, the CNTsPAA/CNMS20 composite membrane was completely infiltrated by water and formed a continuous water layer at the air/water/solid threephase interface, which resulted in the reduction of the effective contact area between the oil phase and the membrane surface ( Figure 3i). [27] The wetting stability of CNTsPAA/CNMS20 composite membrane was further studied by immersing it into the hybrochloric acid (HCl), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and sodium chloride (NaCl, 35 g L −1 ) solutions for 72 h, respectively.…”

Transition metal sulfides meet electrospinning: versatile synthesis, distinct properties and prospective applications

“…383 Over the last years, electrospun nanofibrous membranes have captured increasingly attention for adsorption and separation because of their highly efficient and selective adsorption capability, rapid equilibrium rate, and easy recyclability. 41,42,384 To enhance the adsorption performance, the reduction of the size, the modification of functional groups, and the hybridization with inorganic nanomaterials are the reasonable approaches. Transition metal sulfides with nanosheet-like structure possess sulfur-rich feature and distinct 2D geometry, enabling them highly adsorption of heavy metal ions.…”

“…[28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Among these approaches, electrospinning is probably the most facile and versatile way to produce fiber-or tube-like nanomaterials with tailored compositions and architectures. [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] Electrospinning was originated from Rayleigh's study of droplets' static electricity in 1882 and has not attracted significant research interest in the following century. 46 From the beginning of the 21 th century, the electrospinning technology has captured extensive attention because of the rapid development of the nanoscience and nanotechnology.…”

“…[36][37][38][39] Although a number of review articles focused on the preparation and application of electrospun nanofibers have been published, few reviews have accounted for the discussion of the integration of electrospun nanofibers with metal sulfides and address their structure-property relationships. [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] In this review, the recent progress of the fabrication of electrospun nanofibers/metal sulfide hybrids and their promising applications in the fields of electronic and optoelectronic devices, sensing, catalysis, energy conversion and storage, thermal shielding, adsorption and separation, and biomedical technology have been summarized (Table 1).…”

Recycled polyester nanofiber as a reservoir for essential oil release

“…Electrospun fibers are extremely thin, making them useful in a wide range of advanced applications, such as, selective liquid filtration, [2][3][4] affinity membranes (e.g., for the recovery of metal ions), 5 tissue engineering scaffolds, [6][7][8] sensors, 9 freeze drying, 10 barrier materials for energy storage applications, 11,12 and precursors of nanotube catalysts. 13 Polymer fibers with nanometer to submicron diameters have significant advantages.…”