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Srishti, Kumar A. Sustainable approach to oil recovery from oil spills through superhydrophobic jute fabric. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 197:115701. [PMID: 37890316 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystems suffer from increased oil exploitation and frequent oil spills, which calls for effective, environment-friendly, and economically viable solutions. To address this, abandoned gunny sacks as the concerned jute fabric were superhydrophobically (water contact angle ∼159°) modified, incorporating titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS), rendering a facile drop casting procedure. The modified superhydrophobic-superoleophilic jute fabric has been identified as a high-performance filter with superior reusability that can separate oil-water mixtures in challenging environmental conditions (including potent acidic, alkaline, highly saline, aqueous, frigid, and blistering water environments) while maintaining high separation efficiency. In continuation, static conditions indulging a batch and continuous oil separation performance and dynamic conditions stimulating turbulence in the oil-water mixture were proficiently carried out, mimicking real-world circumstances. As a result, the modified jute fabric has the advantages of high separation efficiency, stable recyclable properties, and outstanding durability, highlighting its enormous potential for use in practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srishti
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
| | - Aditya Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India.
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Voo WX, Chong WC, Teoh HC, Lau WJ, Chan YJ, Chung YT. Facile Preparation of Durable and Eco-Friendly Superhydrophobic Filter with Self-Healing Ability for Efficient Oil/Water Separation. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:793. [PMID: 37755215 PMCID: PMC10534750 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13090793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
The superhydrophobic feature is highly desirable for oil/water separation (OWS) operation to achieve excellent separation efficiency. However, using hazardous materials in fabricating superhydrophobic surfaces is always the main concern. Herein, superhydrophobic filters were prepared via an eco-friendly approach by anchoring silica particles (SiO2) onto the cotton fabric surface, followed by surface coating using natural material-myristic acid via a dip coating method. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used in the synthesis of SiO2 particles from the silica sol. In addition, the impact of the drying temperature on the wettability of the superhydrophobic filter was investigated. Moreover, the pristine cotton fabric and as-prepared superhydrophobic cotton filters were characterised based on Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and contact angle (CA) measurement. The superhydrophobic cotton filter was used to perform OWS using an oil-water mixture containing either chloroform, hexane, toluene, xylene or dichloroethane. The separation efficiency of the OWS using the superhydrophobic filter was as high as 99.9%. Moreover, the superhydrophobic fabric filter also demonstrated excellent durability, chemical stability, self-healing ability and reusability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xin Voo
- Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long Campus, Jalan Sungai Long, Cheras, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia; (W.X.V.); (H.C.T.)
| | - Woon Chan Chong
- Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long Campus, Jalan Sungai Long, Cheras, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia; (W.X.V.); (H.C.T.)
- Centre for Photonics and Advanced Materials Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long Campus, Jalan Sungai Long, Cheras, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hui Chieh Teoh
- Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long Campus, Jalan Sungai Long, Cheras, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia; (W.X.V.); (H.C.T.)
- Centre for Photonics and Advanced Materials Research, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Sungai Long Campus, Jalan Sungai Long, Cheras, Kajang 43000, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Woei Jye Lau
- Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia;
| | - Yi Jing Chan
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Semenyih 43500, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Ying Tao Chung
- Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Technology & Built Environment, UCSI University Kuala Lumpur Campus, Jalan Mandarina Damai 1, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia;
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Liu Z, Zhan Z, Shen T, Li N, Zhang C, Yu C, Li C, Si Y, Jiang L, Dong Z. Dual-bionic superwetting gears with liquid directional steering for oil-water separation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4128. [PMID: 37438400 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39851-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Developing an effective and sustainable method for separating and purifying oily wastewater is a significant challenge. Conventional separation membrane and sponge systems are limited in their long-term usage due to weak antifouling abilities and poor processing capacity for systems with multiple oils. In this study, we present a dual-bionic superwetting gears overflow system with liquid steering abilities, which enables the separation of oil-in-water emulsions into pure phases. This is achieved through the synergistic effect of surface superwettability and complementary topological structures. By applying the surface energy matching principle, water and oil in the mixture rapidly and continuously spread on preferential gear surfaces, forming distinct liquid films that repel each other. The topological structures of the gears facilitate the overflow and rapid transfer of the liquid films, resulting in a high separation flux with the assistance of rotational motion. Importantly, this separation model mitigates the decrease in separation flux caused by fouling and maintains a consistently high separation efficiency for multiple oils with varying densities and surface tensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoxing Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Zidong Zhan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Shen
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Beihang University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
| | - Chengqi Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interfacial Science and Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry, Beihang University, 100191, Beijing, China
| | - Cunlong Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Chuxin Li
- Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, 215123, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yifan Si
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Zhichao Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, China.
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.
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Shang Z, Xu P, Ke Z, Yao M, Li X. Diesel removal and recovery from heavily diesel-contaminated soil based on three-liquid-phase equilibria of diesel + 2-butyloxyethanol + water. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 442:130061. [PMID: 36182881 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Diesel contamination poses a serious threat to ecosystem and human health. This study proposes a novel method for simultaneous diesel removal and recovery from heavily diesel-contaminated soil by washing based on three-liquid-phase equilibria of diesel+2-butoxyethanol+water. This work covers both theoretical-cum-experimental explorations. For this brand-new ternary three-liquid-phase system (TPS), Ternary-Gibbs and Fish-Shaped phase diagrams were constructed through the phase behavior investigation to provide theoretical support for diesel removal/recovery. As the experiment demonstrated, the removal efficiency was up to 87.5 % for the contaminated soil with diesel content of 226,723 mg/kg, and the recovery rate reached 73.8 %. In addition, the TPS could also be used continuously during the washing process while avoiding solution purification, and the detached diesel would automatically float into the top phase without complicated separation. The mechanism of diesel removal was determined as the surface "stripping" effect based on ultralow interfacial tension, and the enhanced process involved "stripping+dissolution". The treated soil contained almost negligible organic solvent residue and was therefore appropriate for plant cultivation. The recovered diesel exhibited less variation from commercial diesel in composition and properties, possessing a higher potential for reuse. Moreover, this study also provided key insights into the residual mechanisms of recalcitrant hydrocarbons in the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhijie Shang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China.
| | - Pan Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Zhenyu Ke
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Meiling Yao
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China
| | - Xinxue Li
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, PR China.
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Superhydrophobic polycarbonate blend monolith with micro/nano porous structure for selective oil/water separation. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.124994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Abidli A, Huang Y, Ben Rejeb Z, Zaoui A, Park CB. Sustainable and efficient technologies for removal and recovery of toxic and valuable metals from wastewater: Recent progress, challenges, and future perspectives. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 292:133102. [PMID: 34914948 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Due to their numerous effects on human health and the natural environment, water contamination with heavy metals and metalloids, caused by their extensive use in various technologies and industrial applications, continues to be a huge ecological issue that needs to be urgently tackled. Additionally, within the circular economy management framework, the recovery and recycling of metals-based waste as high value-added products (VAPs) is of great interest, owing to their high cost and the continuous depletion of their reserves and natural sources. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art technologies developed for the removal and recovery of metal pollutants from wastewater by providing an in-depth understanding of their remediation mechanisms, while analyzing and critically discussing the recent key advances regarding these treatment methods, their practical implementation and integration, as well as evaluating their advantages and remaining limitations. Herein, various treatment techniques are covered, including adsorption, reduction/oxidation, ion exchange, membrane separation technologies, solvents extraction, chemical precipitation/co-precipitation, coagulation-flocculation, flotation, and bioremediation. A particular emphasis is placed on full recovery of the captured metal pollutants in various reusable forms as metal-based VAPs, mainly as solid precipitates, which is a powerful tool that offers substantial enhancement of the remediation processes' sustainability and cost-effectiveness. At the end, we have identified some prospective research directions for future work on this topic, while presenting some recommendations that can promote sustainability and economic feasibility of the existing treatment technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelnasser Abidli
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory (MPML), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada; Institute for Water Innovation (IWI), Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 55 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada.
| | - Yifeng Huang
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory (MPML), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada; Institute for Water Innovation (IWI), Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 55 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zeineb Ben Rejeb
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory (MPML), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Aniss Zaoui
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory (MPML), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Chul B Park
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory (MPML), Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G8, Canada; Institute for Water Innovation (IWI), Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, University of Toronto, 55 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A4, Canada.
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Wang C, Shaayegan V, Costa F, Han S, Park CB. The critical requirement for high-pressure foam injection molding with supercritical fluid. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.124388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Wu H, Fan J, Sun Y, Liu R, Jin J, Li P. Removal of ammonia nitrogen and phenol by pulsed discharge plasma combined with modified zeolite catalyst. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 299:113590. [PMID: 34474256 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the removal of ammonia nitrogen and phenol by pulsed discharge plasma (PDP) and modified zeolite was investigated. The Fe-zeolite and Mn-zeolite catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method. Catalysts' morphology, specific surface area, and chemical bond structure were characterized. Based on the pollutants removal experiments, Fe-zeolite (0.01) in the PDP system had better catalytic oxidation of phenol and adsorption effect of ammonia nitrogen. The removal efficiency of the pollutants increased with the increase of discharge voltage and solution conductivity, but decreased with the increase of discharge distance. During the plasma discharge process, the pH value in the solution decreased, and the solution conductivity gradually increased. After PDP/Fe-zeolite system treatment, the toxicity of the wastewater was significantly reduced. This study provided a new treatment method for inorganic and organic pollutants treated by PDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Wu
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China.
| | - Jiawei Fan
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Yongjun Sun
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Ruoyu Liu
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Juncheng Jin
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China
| | - Pengcheng Li
- College of Urban Construction, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China
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Fashandi M, Karamikamkar S, Leung SN, Naguib HE, Hong J, Liang B, Park CB. Synthesis, structures and properties of hydrophobic Alkyltrimethoxysilane-Polyvinyltrimethoxysilane hybrid aerogels with different alkyl chain lengths. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 608:720-734. [PMID: 34628328 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.09.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Alkyltrimethoxysilane (ATMS) is among most widely used silane coupling agents. These commercially available, reasonably priced chemicals are often utilized to improve the compatibility of inorganic surfaces with organic coatings. With three hydrolysable moieties, ATMS is an outstanding candidate for solving the hydrophilicity, moisture sensitivity and high cost of silica aerogels. However, ATMS has a non-hydrolysable alkyl chain that undergoes cyclization reactions. The alkyl chain prevents ATMS from being incorporated in aerogel structures. Polyvinyltrimethoxysilane (PVTMS) is a silica precursor that offers two types of crosslinking to the final aerogel product. This strong doubly-crosslinked network can potentially suppress the cyclization reactions of ATMS and include it in aerogel structure. EXPERIMENTS PVTMS was used with ATMS having different alkyl lengths (3-16 carbons) and loadings (25 or 50 wt%) as the silica precursors. Acid and base catalysts were used to perform hydrolysis and condensation reactions on the mixture and ATMS:PVTMS aerogels were obtained via supercritical drying. FINDINGS The incorporation of ATMS in the aerogels was approved by different characterization methods. Results showed that ATMS:PVTMS aerogels possess hydrophobicity (θ ∼ 130°), moisture resistance, varying surface area (44-916 m2·g-1), meso/microporous structure and thermal insulation properties (λ ∼ 0.03 W·m-1K-1). These samples also showed excellent performance in oil and organic solvent adsorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Fashandi
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Solmaz Karamikamkar
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Siu N Leung
- Lassonde School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - Hani E Naguib
- Smart Polymers & Composites Lab, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Jiang Hong
- Project Services and External Development Department, Jiangsu JITRI Advanced Polymer Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd. 21F, Tengfei Building A, 88 Jiangmiao Road, Jiangbei New Area, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211800, China
| | - Bingqing Liang
- Project Services and External Development Department, Jiangsu JITRI Advanced Polymer Materials Research Institute Co., Ltd. 21F, Tengfei Building A, 88 Jiangmiao Road, Jiangbei New Area, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211800, China
| | - Chul B Park
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
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Zhao J, Huang Y, Wang G, Qiao Y, Chen Z, Zhang A, Park CB. Fabrication of outstanding thermal-insulating, mechanical robust and superhydrophobic PP/CNT/sorbitol derivative nanocomposite foams for efficient oil/water separation. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2021; 418:126295. [PMID: 34111752 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Water pollution caused by industrial oily wastewater, is world-widely concerned by both scientific and practical researches, owing to its catastrophic destruction to natural environment, which highlights the urgency of producing green and advanced separation materials. Herein, a novel approach was proposed to fabricate oil-absorbing and oil/water-separating microcellular polypropylene (PP)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/sorbitol nanocomposites using a simple, green, and facile microcellular foaming technology. Owning to the effectively modified crystallization via introducing CNTs/sorbitol derivatives, the ultralight and highly-reticulated PP microcellular foam was prepared with an open-cell content of 99.4% and an expansion ratio of 50, which facilitated the creation of nano-porous structures on cell walls. Hence, the as-prepared PP nanocomposite foam presented pronounced absorption capacity of 40 g/g for applied oils with recovery efficiency of 97.2%, superior thermal-insulating and mechanical performance. Furthermore, the as-achieved unique hierarchical porous structures of the PP/CNT/sorbitol foam contributed to the outstanding oil/water separation capability, separation efficiency of up-to 97.6%, ascribed to its superhydrophobicity, capillary penetration action, high porosity and open-cell content. Therefore, this work provided new insight into the feasibility of advantageous, high-efficiency, environmentally friendly, and profitable PP-based foams as oil absorbents, which, to the best of our knowledge, outperform conventional polymer absorbents in treatment of oily wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinchuan Zhao
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, China; Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Yifeng Huang
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Guilong Wang
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, China; Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada.
| | - Yongna Qiao
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Zuolong Chen
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Aimin Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250061, China
| | - Chul B Park
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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Huang Y, Gancheva T, Favis BD, Abidli A, Wang J, Park CB. Hydrophobic Porous Polypropylene with Hierarchical Structures for Ultrafast and Highly Selective Oil/Water Separation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:16859-16868. [PMID: 33749239 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c21852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recently, various porous absorbents have been developed and the in situ vacuum/pump-assisted continuous separation process has proven to be the most efficient technique to utilize those absorbents for oil spill cleanup. However, to achieve a high oil removal throughput, a high pumping pressure and/or large absorbent pore sizes are required, which would compromise the selectivity of oil/water separation, as water may penetrate the absorbent beyond a critical external pressure. In this work, this challenge has been circumvented by employing hierarchically porous polypropylene (PP) with controlled pore sizes generated from a tricontinuous heterophase polymer blend system. As compared to unimodal pores, the incorporation of the secondary smaller pores significantly enhances the oil removal throughput by up to 4-5 times without the necessity of raising the pumping pressure or increasing the diameter of the primary pores, which in turn, prevents compromising the oil/water separation selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Huang
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150090, China
| | - Teodora Gancheva
- CREPEC, Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3A7, Canada
| | - Basil D Favis
- CREPEC, Department of Chemical Engineering, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3A7, Canada
| | - Abdelnasser Abidli
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Jun Wang
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Chul B Park
- Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
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