An Overview of Bioinspired Materials and Their Role in Modern Day Oil-water Separation Processes

Abstract

Unexpected oil spills and industrial oily wastewater discharges are becoming more common as global energy demand rises. Due to the significant water contamination caused by oil spills and industrial organic pollutants, the ecological system is in peril. Over the last ten years, specialized wettability-stimulated materials have been created to separate oil-and-water combinations in order to cope with spilt oil. Frequent oil spills and an increase in oily sewage not only cause considerable water contamination and other environmental issues, but they also have significant economic consequences. Designing cutting-edge technologies and materials for successful oil water separation is a key strategy for tackling such issues, and it is now a significant research field. Bioinspired materials are generated by adapting design concepts from biological systems and biological materials to creatively improve material performance for a wide range of applications including marine, aerospace, medical, and engineering. Scientists evaluated recent advances in oil-water separation utilizing superwetting porous materials, encouraging researchers to create bioinspired materials with the necessary features and capabilities by uniting science and nature. These new biomimetic materials are expected to make their way into existing water purification systems, where they will improve purification/removal efficacy while remaining cost-effective and environmentally benign. This article addresses recent advancements in bioinspired structures, as well as the challenges and opportunities encountered in manufacturing bioinspired materials for sustainable water purification procedures, mainly oil-water separation to create bioinspired materials with the necessary features and capabilities by uniting science and nature.