Cleanup Of Crude Oil Spills Research Articles

Synthesis of magnetic polystyrene nanocomposite by emulsion polymerization using a photo-responsive emulsifier for efficient crude oil absorption

Both human health and marine life are seriously threatened by crude oil spills into bodies of water. For effective crude oil spill cleaning, we created a magnetic polystyrene (m-PS) nanocomposite. The use of magnetic nanoparticles makes crude oil absorption more environmentally friendly by making it easier to collect and recycle using an external magnetic field. To make Fe3O4 nanoparticles compatible with the hydrophobic styrene monomer used in emulsion polymerization, they were treated using a hydrophobic surface modification reaction. This alteration facilitated the grafting of polystyrene (PS) chains onto the nanoparticles, which then underwent emulsion polymerization. As an emulsifier, a light-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer containing coumarin was created via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. This allowed for regulated emulsification and demulsification in response to UV stimulation. The synthesized m-PS nanocomposite demonstrated a crude oil absorption capacity of up to 2.31 times of its own weight, indicating its high efficiency for crude oil spill cleanup. The synthetic emulsifier exhibited a significantly lower critical micelle concentration compared to the commercial P105 emulsifier (0.0976 against 0.354 mg/mL, respectively), indicating higher efficiency and reduced environmental impact. For a more thorough comprehension of the reported results, we also assessed the Hofmeister effect in PS produced using commercial and synthetic emulsifiers.

Magnetic, self-heating and superhydrophobic sponge decorated with BN and CoFe2O4 for high-efficient cleanup of crude oil spills using facile co-precipitation strategy

Accidents involving petrochemical spills have repeatedly threatened the security of the eco-environment. The leaked crude oil exhibits poor fluidity, low adsorption efficiency, and urgent issues such as potential fire risks that require immediate attention. Herein, a multifunctional superhydrophobic sponge Si@CFO@BN@PU was prepared by a simple co-precipitation strategy based on BN and CoFe2O4. The results demonstrate that Si@CFO@BN@PU exhibits excellent superhydrophobic properties, with a water contact angle of 162° and a slide angle of less than 10°, and oil adsorption capacity ranging from 32.3 to 68.4 g/g. Furthermore, the modified sponge also possesses certain magnetic properties, allowing Si@CFO@BN@PU to be moved on the water surface via an external magnetic field and effectively adsorb floating oil. Meanwhile, the modified sponge exhibits excellent photothermal properties. The whole sponge can be heated up to 80 °C in just 60 s under simulated sunlight conditions, effectively reducing the adsorption time of viscous oil by 90 %. Moreover, the cone calorimeter test results demonstrate excellent fire safety of Si@CFO@BN@PU even after adsorption of petroleum. The peak heat release rate (pHRR), total heat release (TSR), maximum CO release rate, and maximum CO2 release rate have decreased by 37.8 %, 23.3 %, 45.4 %, and 34.1 %, respectively. Therefore, Si@CFO@BN@PU is an effective, safe and sustainable new adsorbent material with a wide range of applications in treating petrochemical spills.

Integration of photo/magnetic responsive composite phase change materials with polyurethane sponge for sustainable and efficient cleanup of crude oil spills

The efficient remediation of viscous oil spills is still a global challenge in practice due to the poor fluidity caused by their high viscosity. The adsorbents with in situ heating characteristics are regard as potential candidate for rapid and efficient crude oil spills cleanup. Although solar-assisted heating is the cleanest and most energy-efficient way, the great variation of sunlight intensity with the season and location is an obstacle to its practical application. To promote oil adsorption and enhance energy utilization efficiency, we constructed a novel adsorbent with simultaneous photo/magnetic-thermal response, and importantly phase change materials (PCMs) as thermal energy storage unit were introduced into the adsorbents. The Co/CNTs with high graphitization as efficient sunlight absorbers can significantly improve the photothermal conversion capacity of the adsorbent, resulting in rapid oil adsorption under solar illumination. Besides, benefiting from the superior magnetic response of Co particles encapsulated in the carbon skeleton, the adsorbent also enables efficient oil adsorption under alternating magnetic field. Most importantly, thanks to the cross-connected network structure of CNTs derived from the carbonization of ZIF-67, the PEG was well anchored in the Co/CNTs particles, which allows the adsorbent to store thermal energy and release heat for sustained cleanup of the oil spills when the energy input is insufficient. The adsorbent integrates with superior photo/magnetic-thermal conversion and thermal storage functions provides an innovative solution for efficient and energy-saving remediation of crude oil spills and breaks new grounds of PCMs applications.

Heat-driven all-weather oil spill cleanup by a multifunctional superhydrophobic carbonized sponge

Cleanup of crude oil spills generally faces challenge of high viscosity. Reducing it by virtue of photo-thermal or electro-thermal effect is considered promising to resolve this worldwide issue. However, constructing the photo-thermal or electro-thermal materials requires corresponding agents, leading to high cost and complex preparation process. Herein, a versatile, superhydrophobic, and magnetically responsive carbonized sponge (P-Fe3O4@CMS) is designed by pyrolysis and modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs). This sponge owns selective oil absorption with the capacity of 45.3 to 88.5 g/g. Its surface temperature can rise to 247 °C with 8 V voltage and to 92 °C under 1.0 kW/m2 irradiation, respectively. The self-heating function benefits from electro-thermal and photo-thermal conversion of CMS itself, enabling declined crude oil viscosity and thus enhanced absorption speed. Besides, P-Fe3O4@CMS has brilliant compressibility, allowing oil recovery via extrusion. Pump-assisted continuous oil recovery is feasible to favor a high flux of 785 kg m−2h−1 under the synergistic effect of 8 V voltage and 0.5 kW/m2 irradiation, making it viable for saving energy and efficient oil recovery despite weather conditions. Given the simple fabrication process and cost-effectiveness with 24/7 accessible work, P-Fe3O4@CMS exhibits great potential for oil spill remediation.

Robust superhydrophobic Fe3O4/PAN/PBA nanofibrous aerogel with photo/magneto-thermal properties for efficient all-weather cleanup of viscous crude oil spills

Developing efficient absorbents for the cleanup of highly viscous crude oil spills is of critical importance. The current light-to-heat/electric-to-heat methods to reduce the viscosity of crude oil were limited by the complicated preparationprocesses, weather conditions and potential risk of electrical leakage. Here, a robust superhydrophobic composite Fe3O4/PAN/PBA nanofibrous aerogel (NFA) with excellent photo/magneto-thermal performance for efficient all-weather viscous crude oil spill remediation was fabricated by integrating facile blend electrospinning and freeze-drying techniques. Due to its superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity (water contact angle of 151.3° and oil contact angle of 0°) and anisotropic microchannelstructure, the composite NFA exhibited rapid adsorption kinetics and ultra-high absorption capacity (54.4 − 97.1 g/g) toward various low-viscosity oils and organic solvents. Meanwhile, it displayed outstanding mechanical recyclability (84.07 % recovery after 200 cycles at 80 % strain) and reusability (86.74 % of theinitial capacity after 10 absorption-squeezing cycles). Notably, the composite NFA also showed excellent photo/magneto-thermal conversion efficiency, allowing it to achieve continuous and efficient cleanup ofcrude oil (recovery rate of 6.67 x103 kg m−3h−1) via peristaltic pumping. Therefore, this material holds great potential for all-weather cleanup of crude oil spills.

Coconut shell-derived green synthesised carbon nanotubes for clean-up of crude oil spills

Abstract The global economy has led to an increase in oil transportation and exploitation, posing a threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Crude oil spilled water purification is a major challenge worldwide. Researchers are focusing on finding adsorbents that improve oil adsorption capability. In the present study the adsorption of crude oil using synthesized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) prepared from coconut shell was investigated by batch adsorption experiments under varying parameters (adsorbent dosage and contact time) after analytical techniques (UV–vis, FTIR and SEM) confirmed the formation of the CNTs. The morphological modification significantly increased the hydrophobicity of the adsorbent, thus creating a synthesized CNTs with a much better adsorption capacity for crude oil removal having a maximum adsorption capacity of 4855.8 mg/g. The experimental results showed that the percentage of crude oil removal increased with an increase in adsorbent dosage and the contact time respectively. According to the correlation coefficient (R 2 = 0.9801) value obtained from the adsorption isotherm investigations, the isotherms were found to fit the Freundlich isotherm somewhat better than the Langmuir isotherm model, which is consistent with the findings reported in the literature. These findings have made the synthesised CNTs an attractive, useful, and environmentally friendly adsorbent for controlling crude oil spill.

A Universal Biomacromolecule-Enabled Assembly Strategy for Constructing Multifunctional Aerogels with 90% Inorganic Mass Loading from Inert Nano-Building Blocks.

Inert inorganic nano-building blocks, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and boron nitride (BN) nanosheets, possess excellent physicochemical properties. However, it remains challenging to build aerogels with these inert nanomaterials unless they are chemically modified or compounded with petrochemical polymers, which affects their intrinsic properties and is usually not environmentally friendly. Here, a universal biomacromolecule-enabled assembly strategy is proposed to construct aerogels with 90 wt% ultrahigh inorganic loading. The super-high inorganic content is beneficial for exploiting the inherent properties of inert nanomaterials in multifunctional applications. Taking chitosan-CNTs aerogel as a proof-of-concept demonstration, it delivers sensitive pressure response as a pressure sensor, an ultrahigh sunlight absorption (94.5%) raising temperature under light (from 25 to 71°C within 1min) for clean-up of crude oil spills, and superior electromagnetic interference shielding performance of up to 68.9dB. This strategy paves the way for the multifunctional application of inert nanomaterials by constructing aerogels with ultrahigh inorganic loading.

Room-temperature synthesis of fluorinated covalent organic framework decorated superhydrophobic sponges for highly efficient crude oil spill cleanup

Frequent oil spills cause substantial economic losses and pose a significant threat to human life. Urgent measures must be taken to develop a highly effective approach to mitigating oil spills and minimizing their potential consequences. Herein, we synthesized MS@COFs-F, fluorinated covalent organic framework-decorated superhydrophobic sponges, to clean up crude oil spills efficiently. The synthesis method involved a simple and effective room-temperature approach, utilizing 2,4,6-tris(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (TAPT) as the amine monomer and binding it with three aldehyde monomers of varying fluoride content. The MS@COFs-F with the highest fluorine content, known as MS@COFs-F4, exhibited low surface energy, superhydrophobicity (water contact angle of 155.7°), a large specific surface area of 180 m2/g, and exceptional chemical, mechanical, and thermal stability. MS@COFs-F4 demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in adsorbing crude oils and organic solvents of diverse viscosities, exhibiting an adsorption capacity between 68.5 and 125.9 g/g, achieving an oil–water separation efficiency exceeding 97.0 %. Additionally, MS@COFs-F4 showcased self-cleaning and flame-retardant properties, further enhancing its suitability for real-world applications. MS@COFs-F4 holds the potential to offer a novel, safe, and effective approach in addressing oil spill incidents.

Solar-driven, highly-efficient, and environmentally-friendly oil spill cleanup by a superelastic photothermal thermoplastic polyurethane monolith with aligned channels

Cleanup of crude oil spills is challenging due to its high viscosity. Reducing the viscosity of crude oil by elevating its temperature and thus promoting absorption is considered a promising and environmentally-friendly way to address this worldwide issue. Herein, we propose a photothermal superelastic thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based monolith with aligned channels successively modified with MXene and polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) (P-MXene@TPU) for crude oil absorption and recovery. The well-oriented structures help reduce mass transfer hindrance and accelerate heat transfer, while MXene and PDMS endow the monolith with excellent photothermal conversion property and hydrophobicity, respectively. P-MXene@TPU monolith demonstrates superior oil absorption performance under solar irradiation as self-heating is realized to decrease the crude oil viscosity and promote its absorption rate. Particularly noteworthy is that P-MXene@TPU monolith can bear 300 compression cycles with a deformation of 9 % owing to the superelastic TPU skeleton and aligned channels. The stable compression performance and anti-fatigue property validate that the monolith is suitable for recovering crude oil by extrusion. Continuous crude oil recovery is achieved via a pumping device and solar irradiation (1.0 kW/m2) enhances the recovery rate by a factor of 18, as compared to the one without irradiation. Given the unique structural design and exceptional properties, this monolith provides a highly efficient approach for handing the crude oil spills.

Effect of Pink Water Biosolve on Expression of some Cytokines in Hepatocyte of Wistar Rat

The use of Pink Water Biosolve for clean-up of the environment as a bioremediating chemical has a wide application in the clean-up of crude oil spill in Nigeria. BioSolve is a water-based formulation of nonionic surfactants and other specialty chemicals. The level of toxicity resulting from environmental exposure of plants and animals, including humans, to this chemical has not been well understood. Thus, the level of expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in liver cells of Wistar rats exposed to drinking water obtained from cleaned-up environment was investigated in this study. Reverse transcriptase PCR technique was used to assess the expression of selected hepatic cytokines. The results showed that 10% Soluble Crude Oil Portion (SCP) caused an increased expression of the Interleukin 1-beta (IL1β), Nuclear Factor kappa-B (NF-κB), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Interleukin 10 (IL-10), Mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (MAPK8) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) respectively when compared to the control. The combination of 10% SCP with 0.36mg/L BS and 0.50mg/L BS respectively caused significant (p<0.05) increases in the expression of IL-6, IL-10, MAPK8 and TLR4 respectively. IL-1B was nonsignificantly (p<0.05) increased when compared to the control. This suggests that the presence of the substance in underground/surface water, if found in concentration as low as 0.36mg/L, would be toxic to Wistar rats when consumed over a prolonged period (above 2 weeks).

High capillary effect and solar dual-drive nanofibrillated cellulose aerogels for efficient crude oil spill cleanup

Frequent oil spills pose a serious threat to ecosystems, and rapid cleanup and recycling of oil spills are in high demand. Herein, inspired by natural wood structures and solar-driven viscosity-break, we developed a rapid oil-adsorption aerogel named D-CuS@CP-PMTS, which is dual-driven by capillary effect and solar energy. Briefly, copper sulfide (CuS) nanoparticles were rapidly in situ deposited on the template of oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose (ONC), aiming at achieving high photothermal effects. Subsequently, ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) was introduced to build multiple cross-links between CuS@ONC and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), followed by fabricating an aerogel with directional channels for rapid oil transport using unidirectional freeze-drying technology. Finally, methyltrichlorosilane (MTS) was uniformly deposited on the aerogel using a gas–solid reaction to improve its hydrophobicity. The resulting composite aerogel achieved rapid oil adsorption with the dual assistance of solar self-heating and oriented channel structure, which significantly shortened the oil adsorption time (from 45 min to 2 min), companying with encouraging antibacterial effects. Meanwhile, rapid and repeated multiple adsorptions of high-viscosity crude oils and high melting point oils were achieved, which is superior to other reports. This work provides a new insight into adsorption and recycling of high-viscosity crude oil, and also broadens the potential application prospects of ONC-based aerogels.

Mechanically robust, compressible, and photothermal silane/reduced graphene oxide modified plant fiber sponge for highly efficient cleanup of crude oil spill

Developing solar-assisted self-heating hydrophobic absorbents for efficient cleanup of viscous crude oil spills is attracting attention. However, using a simple, environment-friendly, and scalable fabrication approach to prepare solar-heating absorbent remains a big challenge. Due to the viscosity of crude oil can enormously decrease with increasing temperature, the self-heating absorbent which can in-situ raise the temperature to decrease the viscosity of crude oil shows potential application in accelerating the absorption and recovery of crude oil. Here, a hydrophobic and photothermal reduced graphene oxide and hexamethyldisilane synergistically modified plant fiber sponge (PFS@rGO@HMDS) is developed by an easy and efficient mechanical foaming strategy combined with in-situ vapor and thermal reduction treatment. The obtained PFS@rGO@HMDS exhibits good hydrophobicity (135° in water contact angle), excellent mechanical compressibility and durability, high solar absorption (>97.84 %), and oil absorptive capacity (27.3–52.0 g/g). Benefiting from the excellent photothermal conversion capacity, the surface temperature at the equilibrium of PFS@rGO@HMDS can reach 71.2 °C under 1 sun irradiation to reduce the viscosity of crude oil and realize the rapid crude oil spill remediation. The PFS@rGO@HMDS also can be used in a continual absorbent system to accomplish the ongoing and quick repair of viscous oil spills from the seawater surface, showcasing its enormous potential for use in huge-scale oil spill clean-up and recovery.

Point-to-face assembled carbon architecture targeting photothermal and electrothermal synergetic conversion and management for efficient cleanup of crude-oil spills

Porous materials capable of efficiently remediating crude oil spills are needed for resource and environmental sustainability. However, a big challenging is to achieve high adsorption capacity and speed owing to high viscosity and sluggish flowability of crude oils. We here report a novel hierarchical carbon architecture featuring zero-dimentional carbon dots assembled on reduced graphene oxide nanosheets upon commercial sponge. It exhibits extraordinary sorption capacity of 97.4 g/g and provides a highly modular photothermal and electrothermal conversion platform for rapidly heating crude oils with the minimum heat losses, enabling efficient adsorption of crude oils. Thanks to its excellent energy management ability, the energy efficiency for solar to crude oil adsorption reaches to 248 % with the aid of proper input voltage. Besides, the crude oil value recycled in one hour is 3.15 ∼ 4.43 times than the cost of materials. Therefore, this work offers a new material architecting system for addressing catastrophic large-area spills of crude oils.

Rapid, Sustainable, and Versatile Strategy Towards Fabricating Superhydrophobic Cotton Textile Membranes for Separation of Emulsified and Stratified Oil/Water Mixtures

Special wettability membranes represent one of the smart, advanced, and energy-efficient solutions for the separation of contaminated oily wastewater as well as the treatment of crude oil spills. To increase sustainability and facilitate the large-scale applications of the superwetting membranes, novel renewable materials combined with rapid fabrication approaches should be explored. This study describes a simple and rapid strategy for fabricating superhydrophobic cotton textile (SCT) membranes via a solution immersion strategy from a few renewable and low-cost materials. The versatile fabrication approach was extended to fabricate other types of porous 2D/3D superhydrophobic substrates including metal mesh and melamine sponge. The fabricated SCT was employed for the gravity-driven continuous separation of immiscible oil/water mixtures with a high flux of 62500 ± 650 L. m−2. h−1 and high separation efficiency of > 99%. The SCT was employed for the demulsification of oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions as well as for the cleanup of crude oil spills. The fabricated SCT membranes exhibited high chemical and mechanical durability as well as excellent recyclability. Thus, the presented fabrication strategy offers a versatile, practical, and sustainable pathway toward the rapid construction of superhydrophobic porous membranes for efficient and diverse oil/water separations for the treatment of stratified and emulsified oily wastewater effluents and crude oil spills.

Modifying the Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes Waste using Tannic acid as Sorbent for Crude Oil Spill Cleanup

In the current study, waste polyvinyl chloride pipes were used as a basic material in the reactions, which are widely used Infor water supply and drainage system, where the waste pipes were prepared by cleaning them from suspended materials and grinding them into small particles, then reacting natural polymers from plant; Tannic acid .We have obtained modified polymer (PVC/Tannic acid) or PVC-Ta. The modified polymer have been grinded to obtain powder .Four techniques were used to characterize the properties of natural and prepared polymers: Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) , X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry (DTA-TG) . The study included the use modified polymers (PVC-Ta) to clean up the oil spill on the surface of the water by using the absorption phenomenon. This study included studying the effect of several conditions on the functioning of modified polymers, such as the amount of absorbent and time, for obtaining optimal conditions.The study showed that the modified polymers possess a high efficiency in removing insoluble floating oil stains on the surface of water and dissolved petroleum materials, PVC-Ta recorded the highest percentage of insoluble oil stain removal with an oil absorption capacity of 5.55 g, an ideal weight of 0.4g and an ideal time of 4 hours. The modified polymers were recovered from the crude oil, and reused again with high efficiency.

Coupling Carbon-Based Composite Phase Change Materials with a Polyurethane Sponge for Sustained and Efficient Solar-Driven Cleanup of Viscous Crude Oil Spill.

The efficient cleanup of crude oil spills is a worldwide problem due to their high viscosity and low fluidity. Under the assistance of solar radiation, adsorbents with in situ heating function are becoming the ideal candidates to solve this problem. In this study, a new strategy coupling a polyurethane (PU) sponge with phase change materials (PCMs) is proposed to realize the efficient utilization of solar energy and crude oil cleanup. Wormlike carbon nanotubes/mesoporous carbon (CNTs/MC) with a core-shell structure was used to encapsulate polyethylene glycol (PEG), which was then introduced into the PU sponge for photothermal conversion and thermal storage. After coating with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, the sponge was further endowed with hydrophobic characteristics. Additionally, PDMS can function as a binder between PEG@CNTs/MC and sponge skeleton. The resulting PEG@CNTs/MC/PU/PDMS (named as PEG@CMPP) exhibited excellent photothermal conversion and high absorption capacity for high-viscosity crude oil. Most importantly, thanks to the heat storage properties of PEG, the stored heat can be sustainably transferred to the surrounding crude oil to promote its continuous absorption even under insufficient light intensity conditions. The crude oil absorption capacity of PEG@CMPP-3 reached approximately 0.96 g/cm3 even after the light source was removed, which manifested the distinctive advantages compared to the conventional photothermal adsorbent. The proposed approach integrates the high efficiency of solar-assisted heating and energy-conserving advantage, thereby providing a feasible strategy for highly efficient remediation of viscous crude oil spills.

Multifunctional magnetic sponge with outstanding solar/electro-thermal performance for high-efficiency and all-day continuous cleanup of crude oil spills

The high-efficient, eco-friendly and low-energy cleanup of viscous crude oil spills is still a global challenge. Emerging absorbents with self-heating function are promising candidates due to that they can significantly decrease crude oil viscosity via in-situ heat transfer so as to accelerate remediation. Herein we developed a novel multifunctional magnetic sponge (P-MXene/Fe3O4@MS) with outstanding solar/electro-thermal performance by facilely coating Ti3C2TX MXene, nano-Fe3O4 and polydimethylsiloxane onto melamine sponge for fast crude oil recovery. Superior hydrophobicity (water contact angle of 147°) and magnetic responsivity allowed P-MXene/Fe3O4@MS to be magnetically driven for oil/water separation and easy recycling. Owing to excellent full-solar-spectrum absorption (average absorptivity of 96.5 %), effective photothermal conversion and high conductivity (resistance of 300 Ω), P-MXene/Fe3O4@MS possessed remarkable solar/Joule heating capability. The maximum surface temperature of P-MXene/Fe3O4@MS could quickly reach 84 °C under a solar irradiation of 1.0 kW/m2 and 100 °C after applying a voltage of 20 V. The generated heat induced a significant decrease of crude oil viscosity, enabling the composite sponge to absorb more than 27 times its weight of crude oil within 2 min (1.0 kW/m2 irradiation). More importantly, by means of the synergistic effect of Joule heating and solar heating, a pump-assisted absorption device based on P-MXene/Fe3O4@MS was able to realize the high-efficiency and all-day continuous separation of high-viscosity oil on water surface (crude oil flux = 710 kg m−2 h−1). The new-typed multifunctional sponge provides a competitive approach for dealing with large-area crude oil pollution.

Cellulose nanofiber/MXene/luffa aerogel for all-weather and high-efficiency cleanup of crude oil spills

The remediation of heavy crude oil spills is a global challenge because frequent crude oil spills cause long-term damage to local living beings and marine ecosystems. Herein, a solar-driven and Joule-driven self-heated aerogel were developed as an all-weather adsorbent to efficiently absorb crude oil by obviously decreasing the viscosity of crude oil. The cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/MXene/luffa (CML) aerogel was fabricated via a simple freeze-drying method using CNF, MXene, and luffa as raw materials, and then coated with a layer of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to make it hydrophobic and further increase oil-water selectivity. The aerogel can quickly reach 98 °C under 1 sun (1.0 kW/m2), which remains saturated temperature after 5 times photothermal heating/cooling cycles, indicating that the aerogel has great photothermal conversation capability and stability. Meanwhile, the aerogel can also rapidly rise to 110.8 °C with a voltage of 12 V. More importantly, the aerogel achieved the highest temperature of 87.2 °C under outdoor natural sunlight, providing a possibility for promising applications in practical situations. The remarkable heating capability enables the aerogel to decrease the viscosity of crude oil substantially and increase the absorption rate of crude oil by the physical capillary action. The proposed all-weather aerogel design provides a sustainable and promising solution for cleaning up crude oil spills.

Biomimetic, fire-resistant, ultralight and porous carbon fiber sponges enabling safe and efficient remediation of crude oil spills in harsh environments

Advanced absorbents must meet the requirements of superior hydrophobic/oleophilic behavior, favorable adsorption efficiency, and high photothermal and Joule heating performance to handle frequent crude oil spills. However, current carbon-based absorbents suffer from poor fire resistance, thus severely limiting their application in harsh environments. Herein, inspired by a bird's nest, a polymer “welding” strategy is proposed to design a versatile absorbent in which the polymer serves as a “binder” to interconnect discontinuous fibers together to form a 3D welded structure. The continuous conductive networks endow the absorbent with high photothermal and Joule heating effect, thus achieving all-weather adsorption, and improving the adsorption efficiency of crude oil via the self-heating function. Compared with other absorbents, the absorbent prepared via polymer welding technology exhibited preferable comprehensive performance, such as superhydrophobicity, high fire resistance, and high absorption efficiency. Specially, the noninflammable absorbent can restrain the combustion of crude oil, thereby reducing its combustion in case of fire. The versatile absorbent is expected to provide a promising solution for the safe and efficient cleanup of crude oil spills in harsh environments. Overall, the unique polymer welding strategy can be developed into a universal strategy for other material systems to expand their applications.

Scalable fabrication of efficient and recycling wood residue-derived sponge for crude oil adsorption

Fast, low-cost, and efficient technology for crude oil remediation is a challenge. Herein, we reported a wood residue-derived sponge immobilized with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) via the delignification, high-speed dispersion and freeze-drying processes, which allows fast and efficient cleanup of crude oil spill with the assistance of solar irradiation. Magnetic wood residue-derived sponge (M-sponge) with uniformly distributed Fe 3 O 4 NPs exhibits excellent photothermal conversion effect and can adsorb 172.62 g g -1 of crude oil in the first 15 minutes. Meanwhile, the M-sponge with good magnetic property is easily recycled by an external magnet and keeps high crude oil uptake of 154 g g -1 at least 10 adsorption-desorption cycles. Combining with the light weight (9 g m -3 , porosity > 91%), none harmfully hydrophobic chemicals, synthesis simplicity, and abundant starting materials, M-sponge design represents a high-value utilization based on forestry waste in the field of crude-oil remediation and water treatment. • A solar-assisted self-heating magnetic sponge adsorbent is constructed. • M-sponge with high photothermal conversion efficiency exhibits the adsorption capacity up to 172.62 g g -1 for crude oil. • M-sponge can be recovered by magnet and shows adsorption attenuation less than 11% after 10 times recycling. • Without toxic chemical reagents addition, the raw materials are sustainable, abundant and low-cost.