Fabrication of superhydrophilic mask non-woven fabric with cellulose/GO composite coating for oil/water separation

Abstract

Superwettable coatings have aroused considerable attention in oil/water separation materials research benefit from their many advantages, such as various preparation methods, high separation efficiency, and low cost. However, many of these coatings are not suitable for practical separation due to the complex composite methods and poor biodegradability. The development of novel superwettable oil/water separation materials with simple fabrication and eco-friendly coating has become a noteworthy target in oil/water separation fields. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a large number of waste masks abandoned in the natural environments have caused serious environmental hazards. The mask non-woven fabric (MNF) from waste disposable medical masks is a good separation material for its rich microporous. Herein, regenerated degreasing cotton cellulose and graphene oxide (GO) were used to successfully construct an environmentally friendly composite coating on the MNF through a simple dip coating method, and the obtained Cellulose/GO@MNF has excellent superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity. The fabricated coating possesses favorable chemical stability and nice mechanical strength after being destroyed by corrosive solutions (acid, alkali, salt solution) and physical processing (scratches). Various oil/water mixtures can be separated with high separation efficiency (>98%), and the separation efficiency is absent a substantive drop even after 10 separate cycles. Water can be removed quickly and continuously from the oil/water mixture by the as-fabricated MNF linking with a peristaltic pump. Besides, toluene oil-in-water emulsion can also be separated effectively. What is more significant is that, the Cellulose/GO@MNF fabric fabricated via a simple method and using biodegradable coating materials has potential application prospects in solving both recycling problems of waste masks and oil/water pollution.