Preparation of a new superhydrophobic/superoleophilic corn straw fiber used as an oil absorbent for selective absorption of oil from water

Yang Xu,Shih-Hsin Ho,Yan Zhou,Jo-Shu Chang,Feng Liu,Chengyu Wang,Xiaochen Huang,Deli Zang,Haiyue Yang

doi:10.1186/s40643-018-0194-8

Abstract

BackgroundOil leakages frequently occur during oil product development and oil transportation. These incidents are a vital factor in water contamination, thus leading to serious environmental destruction. Therefore, superhydrophobic/superoleophilic material is one of the solutions to treat oily wastewater.ResultsThis study aimed to develop a simple, fast and low-cost method to treat oily wastewater by synthesizing a new superhydrophobic/superoleophilic corn straw fiber via conventional impregnation. The corresponding results illustrate that abundant homogeneous silica (SiO2) granules evenly accreted on the surface of the prepared fiber were conducive to high surface roughness. Meanwhile, (Heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetradecyl) trimethoxysilane, a sort of silane coupling agent, could greatly reduce surface free energy by grafting with SiO2 particles on the corn straw fiber surface. The obtained superhydrophobic/superoleophilic corn straw fiber exhibited a water contact angle of 152° and an oil contact angle of 0° for various oils, strongly demonstrating its considerable application as an oil absorbent that can be applied for oil cleanup. In addition, the prepared fiber displayed a great chemical stability and environmental durability.ConclusionsDue to its high absorption capacity and absorption efficiency, the prepared fiber has great potential as a new oil absorbent for treatment of oily water.

Highlights

Oil leakages frequently occur during oil product development and oil transportation
The information obtained in this study demonstrates that the prepared superhydrophobic/superoleophilic corn straw fiber can be widely applied in the treatment of oily wastewater, thereby providing new insight into producing a sustainable high-efficiency oil absorbent from agricultural waste
Micro‐structure analysis of a novel superhydrophobic/ superoleophilic corn straw fiber It is known that surface microtopography is primarily responsible for establishing superhydrophobic surface, similar to the lotus leaf ’s self-cleaning property that is associated with its micro/nanostructure (Wang et al 2015; Autumn et al 2000; Ju et al 2012; Wei et al 2010; Gao et al 2009; Zhang et al 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Oil leakages frequently occur during oil product development and oil transportation. These incidents are a vital factor in water contamination, leading to serious environmental destruction. Physical adsorption techniques, which employ hydrophilic materials to remove waste oil from water, is considered as the most economic and valid method due to its high absorption capacity and low cost. Most of the traditional oil absorbents generally encounter problems, such as low separation efficiency, high cost, poor absorption capacity and non-biodegradable characteristics (Karakasi and Moutsatsou 2010). Fabrication of new environmental-friendly oil absorbing material with a higher absorption ability and lower production cost is required and urgent (Yao et al 2011).

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