Highly Efficient Nano-Structured Polymer-Based Membrane/Sorbent for Oil Adsorption from O/W Emulsion Conducted of Petroleum Wastewater

Abstract

Wastewater disposal has been an important issue from an environmental perspective in terms of the serious damages and harms its contaminants may cause. Treatment of the wastewater, through the pollutants removal, either before disposal or for the reuse in certain industrial or agricultural purposes, is an essential process. In response to this environmental claim, a novel nano-structured, macro-porous, polymer-based membrane/sorbent was prepared, in terms of its highly open and porous structure with nano-structured sorbent interconnecting walls and based on high internal phase emulsion polymerization. This sorbent was used to remove the oil from polluted wastewater in a laboratory-scale through the application of a new method called flotation–nano-filtration. In order to avoid the water flux decline and simultaneously enhance the oil removal efficiency from the wastewater, the polymeric material, after being prepared and used in sheet form (membrane), was ultimately introduced to the wastewater system as small pieces, as with the intention of physically increasing the area of surface for the oil removal. The material performance studies applied several variables, namely, the physical sectioning of the material surface area, sorbent concentration, mixing speed, and mixing time. An efficiency of 99.75% for the oil removal from the polluted water was successfully achieved at 75 minutes mixing time, a sorbent concentration of 0.158 g/200 mL (each piece with dimensions of 2 mm × 3 mm × 1 mm), and 300 rpm mixing speed. The sorbent structure before and after the oil removal process was examined using scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction analysis.