Superhydrophobic silica wool—a facile route to separating oil and hydrophobic solvents from water

Abstract

Silica microfiber wool was systematically functionalized in order to provide an extremely water repellent and oleophilic material. This was carried out using a two-step functionalization that was shown to be a highly effective method for generating an intense water repulsion and attraction for oil. A demonstration of the silica wools application is shown through the highly efficient separation of oils and hydrophobic solvents from water. Water is confined to the extremities of the material, while oil is absorbed into the voids within the wool. The effect of surface functionalization is monitored though observing the interaction of the material with both oils and water, in addition to scanning electron microscope images, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The material can be readily utilized in many applications, including the cleaning of oil spills and filtering during industrial processes, as well as further water purification tasks—while not suffering the losses of efficiency observed in current leading polymeric materials.

Heat-Treated Micronized Polyethylene Powder for Efficient Oil/Water Separating Filters

“…Many designs have been reported to separate oil from water. These include oil skimmers [ 3 ], sponges [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], meshes [ 7 , 8 ], foams [ 9 , 10 ], and selective filters [ 11 , 12 ]. The common feature in all these designs is the ability for materials/devices to selectively interact with either oil or water.…”

Study of Mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru DC), in natura and modified by microemulsion, as a biosorbent for diesel oil

“…In particular, benzene and benzo(a)pyrene are a major environmental concern because they can be injurious to public health, especially when supply sources are affected (Ramalho, Aquino Sobrinho, Anjos, Dantas, & Silva, 2014;Rengarajan et al, 2015;Alegbeleye et al, 2017). In this context, several techniques have been proposed and used for cleaning and recovery of areas contaminated by oil spills, such as physical methods (Crick, Bhachu, & Parkin, 2014), chemical methods like in situ burning and solidifiers (Mullin & Champ, 2003;Rosales, Suidan, & Venosa, 2010;Sundaravadivelu, Suidan, Venosa, & Rosales, 2016), and bioremediation (Bamforth & Singleton, 2005;Crisafi et al, 2016). Among the physical methods, sorption has been widely used in oil leakage because it is simple and efficient (Wahi, Chuah, Choong, Ngaini, & Nourouzi, 2013;Boni, Oliveira, Souza, & Souza, 2016;Patowary, Pathak, & Ananthakrishnan, 2016;Yin, Zhang, Liu, Li, & Wang, 2016).…”

Effects of Surface Microstructures on Superhydrophobic Properties and Oil-Water Separation Efficiency

“…Both oil leakage accidents and arbitrary discharges of oily wastewater have caused great damage to water resources [1][2][3][4]. In order to recycle crude oil that has leaked into the water and to purify the water [5], a lot of efforts have been made to separate the oils from the water surface, including using oil skimmers, flotation, and gravity separation.…”