Superhydrophobic and compressible carbon aerogels derived from platanus orientalis for oil absorption and emulsion separation

Abstract

Abstract The production of a feasible and efficient material for emulsion separation, from the conversion of inexpensive and abundant precursors, was of extreme importance but challenging. In this paper, using platanus orientalis fibers as the building blocks, versatile carbon aerogels (VCAs) have been successfully fabricated by means of a facile carbonization. The as-prepared VCAs with interconnected network showed excellent properties such as low density (8.3 mg cm−3), superior compressive strength (80%), high porosity (98.8%) and oil absorption capacity (30–150 g−1). Owing to their brilliant superhydrophobic/superoleophilic properties, the VCAs were used for separating water-in-kerosene emulsions with flux up to 6250 L m−2 h−1 and separation efficiency greater than 99.99%. More importantly, these carbon aerogels could separate efficiently different viscosity water-in-Poly-Alpha-Olefin02/10/40 emulsion, as presented by that the separation efficiency still keeps as high as 99.90%. These excellent performances endowed the carbon aerogel with greater potentials for recycling and regeneration of emulsified oil in the future of industrial development.