Exfoliated graphite blocks with resilience prepared by room temperature exfoliation and their application for oil-water separation

Effect of Process Parameters on the Graphite Expansion Produced by a Green Modification of the Hummers Method

“…Some authors described some possible causes of the chemical broadening of the IGs: Bannov et al mentioned that after chemical intercalation with sulfuric acid, the XRD spectrum of IGs contains a mixture of two peaks: one corresponding to pure graphite and the other shifted to lower angles d (002) = 0.3368 nm with a lower interlayer distance, corresponding to an intercalation compound described as graphite bisulfate in the form of an asymmetrical peak appearing in the spectrum below 26° [ 12 ]. On the other hand, Hou et al stated that some (002) diffraction peaks appearing at 26.59 and 26.73° suggest that some acid species remain in the interlayer spaces as residual compounds damaging the regular stacking of the graphite layers [ 2 ]. It is important to mention that ball milling was used to induce a uniform mixing of graphite and the intercalation agent favored by the mechanical action of the impact of milling media, but under higher milling times, graphite has a restacking effect resulting in increased intensity of the characteristic peaks [ 35 ], as can be seen in sample 30–1, where we can notice a reduction of FWHM and peak shifting to the almost original position.…”

“…A large sorption capacity, fast performance, and high selectivity are requirements for good adsorbates. Still, eco-friendly materials additionally must complain with reduced environmental impact and regeneration abilities to meet the recycling cycles [ 2 ] because the main drawback associated with adsorption technology is the adsorbent cost which elevates the overall treatment process cost. Current practices such as circular economy, sustainable development, and green chemistry-based engineering processes involve reusing and recycling industrial wastes and adsorbents [ 6 ].…”

“…Thus, one important operational parameter of adsorption processes is the adsorbent regeneration because recycling reduces further use of chemicals to preserve the environment [ 4 , 5 ]. In other words, not only must EG remove oil from water in an efficient way, but also both the oil and EG must be recovered and recycled correctly; unfortunately, EGs’ porous structure can be easily destroyed during the regeneration process [ 2 ]. To separate oil from the saturated EG, some process has been described but have many disadvantages: using filtration, the recovered amounts of oils decrease rather markedly with increasing recycling times due to the oil retention in the pores or on the surface of EG [ 53 ].…”

“…Although hydrocarbons are present in various types and forms, they are generally problematic to remove, causing catastrophic effects on ecosystems if effective treatment is not correctly applied. Thus, the treatment of oil spills must be efficient and timely to avoid further pollution aggravation [ 2 ]. Diesel fuel is a major energy source worldwide and one of the most widespread contaminants in soil and water [ 3 ].…”

Revisiting the Roles of Natural Graphite in Ongoing Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…Various EGs have been developed with different methods. [96] After carbon coating, the exfoliated FG with expanded interlayer distance, porous texture, and disordered structure present greatly improved specific capacity and Li + diffusivity, thus enhancing the fast-charging and low-temperature performance. Therefore, the combination of exfoliation modification and pyrolysis carbon coating can effectively enhance the highrate and low-temperature properties of graphite anode, which has been applied in commercial high-power LIBs.…”