Oil-water Mixture Research Articles

Perfluoroalkyl Functionalized Superhydrophobic Covalent Organic Frameworks for Excellent Oil-Water Membrane Separation and Anhydrous Proton Conduction.

Rapid economic development has led to oil pollution and energy shortage. Membrane separation has attracted much attention due to its simplicity and efficiency in oil-water-separation. The development of membrane materials with enhanced separation properties is essential to improve the separation-efficiency. Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are expected to replace conventional engines due to their high-power-conversion rates and other favorable properties. Anhydrous-proton-conductingmaterials are vital components of PEMFCs. However, developing stable proton-conducting materials that exhibit high conductivity at varying temperatures remains challenging. Herein, two covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with long-side-chains are synthesized, and their corresponding COF@SSN membranes. Both membranes can effectively separate oil-water mixtures and water-in-oil emulsions. The TFPT-AF membrane achieves a maximum oil-flux of 6.05×105g h-1 m-2 with an oil-water separation efficiency of above 99%, which is almost unchanged after 20 consecutive uses. COF@H3PO4 doped with different ratios of H3PO4 is prepared, the results show that the perfluorocarbon-chain system has excellent anhydrous proton conductivity, achieving an ultra-high proton-conductivityof 3.98×10-1Scm-1 at 125°C. This study lays the foundation for tailor-made-functionalization of COF through pre-engineering and surface-modification, highlighting the great potential of COFs for oil-water separation and anhydrous-proton-conductivity.

A novel Pumice@PVA membrane with high separation efficiency for oil-water emulsion application

Oil pollution poses a major threat to both human health and economic development, and therefore the development and improvement of oil-water separation technology is urgent. Traditional methods have problems such as complicated preparation, high cost and the vulnerability of lipophilic materials to oil contamination. Therefore, finding an inorganic material that meets the requirements of underwater superoleophobic performance and reduces surface modification has become a new demand. In this study, natural pumice was found for the first time to have excellent underwater superoleophobic performance and chemical stability, and the underwater superoleophobic filter membrane was prepared by vacuum adsorption using hydrogen bond cross-linking between natural pumice and PVA. The experimental data show that the prepared PVA/natural pumice ultrafiltration membrane has superhydrophilic and superoleophobic properties, and exhibits excellent stability (OWA>150°) under the harsh environment of strong acid and strong alkali. In addition, the composite membrane has good emulsion separation efficiency (>97 %) and a separation flux of 39.91 Lm-2h-1. It is demonstrated that the composite membrane has oleophobic and wettable properties, and is capable of separating both oil-water mixtures without phase mixing and oil-in-water emulsions without oil contamination. This study provides a new idea for the preparation of superoleophobic materials for oil-water separation, which has the potential for large-scale application.

Preparation of lightweight porous slag-based geopolymer highly hydrophobic materials for efficient oil-water separation

Surface hydrophobic modification is a critical technology for enhancing the application properties of materials, crucial for the development of geopolymer materials in oil-water separation. in this study, a lightweight porous slag-based geopolymer highly hydrophobic materials (PSGHHMs) were successfully prepared in-situ using slag and liquid water glass by varying different influencing factors, such as the amount of water/foaming agent/polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and the curing temperature. The PSGHHMs exhibited high strength, large flux and excellent highly hydrophobic properties, with contact angle reaching 156.14° and a sliding angle of less than 2°. SEM-EDS, TG-DSC and FT-IR analysis reveal that the in-situ modification mechanism of PSGHHMs involves the hydrolysis of Si-H in PMHS under alkaline conditions to form Si-OH. This subsequently reacts with Ca-OH in C-S-H gel to produce Ca-O-Si. Consequently, the PSGHHMs retained their excellent highly hydrophobicity even after calcination at 450℃ for 2.5 h. The PSGHHMs demonstrated robust resistance to acid/alkali/salt corrosion, as well as to friction, with the ability to quickly restore damaged highly hydrophobic properties. Additionally, the PSGHHMs could quickly absorb light/heavy oils, and achieving a desorption efficiency of over 99 %. They were also capable of continuously separation of oil-in-water emulsions and oil-water mixtures. Given these properties, the PSGHHMs have broad potential applications in antifreezing, antifogging, drag reduction and oil-water separation.

Study on the unheated gathering boundaries of crude oil during high water content period in cold region

The energy consumption of oil gathering and transportation can be effectively reduced by using an unheated gathering process in oilfields with high water content. However, the phenomenon of “condensate sticking to the wall” may arise due to low temperatures in the cold region, which affects the safe production of this process. In this study, the safe production temperature limit of high water content crude oil in a cold climate without heating is determined by using a combination of a cold finger experiment and a field test. Research using cold finger devices indicates that crude oil’s viscous wall temperature typically below the pour point and diminishes as water content and shear stress rise. Through field tests with gradually decreasing oil–water mixture temperatures, the relationship between the oil–water mixture temperature and pipeline pressure drop is established. The temperature at the pressure drop surge point is then chosen as the limit for unheated gathering and transportation. A model for calculating the viscous wall temperature considering the flow state is established, its average calculation error is 1.44%. This study can provide important guidance for the feasibility judgment of the unheated gathering and transportation process and its safe operation in oil fields in cold regions.

Natural polymers-based separation membrane for high-efficient separation of oil water mixture

In recent years, the problem of oil pollution represented by industrial oily waste occurs frequently, and the general hydrophilic filtration materials are facing the problems of clogging and poor hydrophilicity, so the hydrophilic hydrogel materials have received some attention, but the related research can’t balance the filtration materials related to the needs of high efficiency, rapidity and stability. In recent years, research on physically cross-linked hydrogels has been developed. We designed a hydrogel made of natural polymers and modified materials including cotton cloth and copper foam by coating or dip coating, and prepared physically crosslinked hydrogel-modified filtration materials, in which the pore size of 10 μm and a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophilic wettability with an oil contact angle of more than 150° underwater can realize a water flux of more than 106 L·m−2·h−1 and an oil-water flux of more than 99 % efficiency. The oil-water separation efficiency higher than 99 %. Through the action of its ionic electrolyte, it can decompose emulsions containing different surfactants with an efficiency of more than 99 %, and it still possesses high hydrophilicity and separation efficiency even when immersed in pH=1 acid solution for 1 h, and it still possesses high water flux and separation efficiency even when abraded more than 100 times. The materials used are all non-toxic and are not harmful to the environment after segregation. The physically cross-linked hydrogel prepared in this experiment provides a method for realizing oily wastewater purification without secondary pollution, with high efficiency, rapidity and stability, and has a high potential for further development.

Development of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic CNT and BNNT coated copper meshes for oil/water separation

In this research, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method was used to synthesize boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) powder. This method involves heating multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and boric acid in the presence of ammonia gas up to 1000 °C. Then MWCNT and synthetic BNNT were coated on the copper mesh via dip-coating method separately to prepare nano-structured membranes for efficient oil/water separation. Various analyzes were performed to identify the synthetic BNNT properties (X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and prepared coated membranes (FESEM, atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA), oil contact angle (OCA) and oil/water separation process). Water and oil contact angle analyzes showed the super-oleophilic properties of both membranes with the underwater OCA of about 128°. For the separation process, a dead-end filtration setup was used, and free oil water mixture and o/w emulsion were prepared. So, in the separation process water was retained and decalin passed through both prepared membranes. The flux of CNT coated membrane was about 458 L m2 h−1, while this amount was 1834 L m2 h−1 for BNNT coated membrane and 99% separation efficiency was achieved by both of them. This four-fold increase in flux is due to the fact that the inner diameter of boron nitride nanotubes synthesized is four times larger than the inner diameter of MWCNT.

Multifunctional nanofibrous membranes for highly efficient harsh environmental air filtration and oil–water separation

With the acceleration of the global industrialization process, the treatment of corrosive waste gas and oily wastewater in pharmaceutical, petrochemical and smelting fields still remains tremendous challenges. Herein, a robust polysulfonamide/polyacrylonitril@silica (PSA/PAN@SiO2) nanofibrous membrane with a hierarchical structure was successfully developed to deal with air filtration and oil–water separation under practical complex environments. In the process of air purification, the synergistic effect of multiple components could effectively surmount the conflict between pollution particle removal efficiency and pressure resistance. The air cleaning efficiency (PM0.3) of the PSA/PAN@SiO2 composite membranes could reach 99.05 ± 0.13 % at a low pressure drop of 30 ± 2 Pa. Due to the outstanding stability of PSA and SiO2, the composite membranes still possessed stable filtration performance in complex environments (strong acid, strong alkali and high temperature). Furthermore, PSA/PAN@SiO2 composite membranes with unique wettability (under oil superhydrophobicity and underwater superoleophobicity) could efficiently separate oil–water mixtures and emulsions. This multifunctional filtration membrane provides enormous application potential for the field of individual protection and environmental governance, even in complex environments.

Enhancement of photothermal effect of Cu2S@CuS homojunction and applications of crude oil–water separation and ice removal

The recycle of crude oil with high viscosity from wastewater and anti-icing of outdoor power transmission lines are still challenges. High photothermal responses with excellent superwetting properties are critical issues for solving these problems. In the paper, the porous nanosheet arrays of Cu2S@CuS homojunction with narrow band have been prepared by anodizing Cu foam. After the surface modification of stearic acid (STA), the array surface is endowed with excellent wetting states of super-hydrophobicity and super-lipophilicity, and is suitable for the oil–water separation. The narrow band and homojunction structure induce the excellent light absorption, and further increase the photothermal conversion efficiency of the prepared Cu2S@CuS nanoarray to the value of 8.81 %. Under the irradiation of Xe lamp with 0.1 W/cm2, the surface temperature of Cu2S@CuS nanosheet array in air promptly increases to 96.5 ℃ from room temperature of 20.9 ℃ within 30 s, and increases to 69 ℃ from room temperature within 45 s in crude oil. Obviously, the prepared Cu2S@CuS nanoarrays with excellent photothermal responses are very suitable to be used as filter film for the crude oil–water separation. With the increase of light irradiation time, the local temperature of crude oil near the filter film continues to be increased to 69 ℃ within 45 s, and the gradually warmed crude oil was continuously pumped to the oil collecting beaker through rubber pipe, showing the high efficiency and excellent stability. Of course, it is also used to efficiently separate the oil with low viscosity from oil-water mixtures and emulsion.

Charge-induced aggregation of emulsified oil droplets in water with the presence of functionalized stainless steel felt

Oil-water mixtures, especially the surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high stability, are causing great difficulties in effective separation. In this work, a modification strategy was established to prepare functionalized stainless steel felt for emulsion separation by coating the felt with 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine, followed by the introduction of silica nanoparticles using a sulfur-based three-component coupling reaction. To satisfy the pore size requirement for effective emulsion separation, the developed felt was processed using a compression molding. With special wettability, optimized pore size, and electrostatic demulsification mechanism, the positive charged felt delivered outstanding separation capabilities for oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by various surfactants. Specifically, the flux and COD removal efficiency for the anionic-stabilized emulsion were up to 3911 L m-2h−1 and 95.3 %, while for cationic-stabilized emulsions, which were 1305 L m-2h−1 and 93.1 %. Our comparative results indicated that surface charges played an essential role in governing the separation performance of the felt, and the demulsification arising from the electrostatic attraction demonstrated better separation capability than that caused by the electrostatic repulsion. In addition, the developed felt showed controlled surface charge and anti-fouling performance under cyclic operations. The findings of this study are beneficial for constructing separation material with high separation efficiency and long-term durability for practical applications.

Innovative TiO2-doped polyvinyl alcohol sponge for efficient oil–water separation and dye degradation in wastewater treatment

Regular problems faced due to oil spills and soluble contaminants have increasingly caused serious water pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop efficient strategies to purify wastewater. This study aims to formulate a synergistic treatment technology of sorption and ultraviolet light catalysis for oil–water separation and degradation of dyes in wastewater. In this study, TiO2 doped PVF sponge (DTMS-TiO2@PVF) was prepared with a water contact angle of 151.5° and a removal rate of 98.86 % of MB in 120 min. Meanwhile, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge could easily realize the selective separation of oil–water mixtures. Its saturated sorption capacity for oil and organic solvent was 4.13–10.05 g/g. In addition, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge had better environmental stability, which could withstand chemical corrosion (acid, alkaline, and salt solutions). Therefore, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge showed great potential for application as an efficient oil–water separation and photocatalytic material, especially in the field of treating oil wastewater and water purification.

Hydrophobic silicone modified membranes for efficient oil/water separation: Synthesis, fabrication and application

Oil leakage and discharge of organic wastewater have not only threatened the ecosystem, but also greatly aggravated water scarcity. Efficient separation of oil–water mixture has become a global challenge. To solve this issue, various hydrophobic membranes with special wettability have been developed in past decades. Among them, the hydrophobic silicone-modified membranes have attracted much attention due to their low cost, easy processing and large-scale production. Herein, recent progresses of hydrophobic silicone-modified membranes for oil–water separation are reviewed. Basic mechanisms and principles for efficient oil–water separation are presented as a starting point for the discussion. Then, according to the modified silicone polymers or molecules, we give a detail description of their synthesis and briefly introduce the main reactions with the substrate, the typical grafting strategy and fabricating methods. Subsequently, the performance and oil–water application of various hydrophobic membranes modified silicone are introduced. Finally, some problems and challenges faced by silicone modification are summarized and present, and their future development is also prospected.

Antigravity Autonomous Superwettable Pumps for Spontaneous Separation of Oil-Water Emulsions.

Oil-water separation based on superwettable materials offers a promising way for the treatment of oil-water mixtures and emulsions. Nevertheless, such separation techniques often require complex devices and external energy input. Therefore, it remains a great challenge to separate oil-water mixtures and emulsions through an energy-efficient, economical, and sustainable way. Here, a novel approach demonstrating the successful separation of oil-water emulsions using antigravity-driven autonomous superwettable pumps is presented. By transitioning from traditional gravity-driven to antigravity-driven separation, the study showcases the unprecedented success in purifying oil/water from emulsions by capillary/siphon-driven superwettable autonomous pumps. These pumps, composed of self-organized interconnected channels formed by the packing of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic sand particles, exhibit outstanding separation flux, efficiency, and recyclability. The findings of this study not only open up a new avenue for oil-water emulsion separation but also hold promise for profound impacts in the field.

All-weather self-healing superhydrophobic coating functionalized with the cauliflower-like PPy and TiN on cotton fabric for efficient oil-water separation

Superhydrophobic materials are currently undergoing rapid development in various industries, with increasing attention being paid to their service life. Herein, we report an all-weather self-healing superhydrophobic cotton fabric based on photothermal and Joule-heating effects, which can be used for efficient oil-water separation. With the assistance of Safranine T, unique cauliflower-like polypyrrole (PPy) was prepared. Subsequently, titanium nitride (TiN) was loaded to enhance the photothermal performance of the fabric, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was grafted onto surface to improve the water repellency of PPy@TiN/PDMS fabric. The fabric not only has strong light absorption in visible-near infrared region, but also has good Joule-heating effect, up to 116.3 °C (light intensity of 5 sun) and 128.5 °C (voltage of 8 V). Due to unique all-weather heating performance, the migration of low surface energy PDMS chains is accelerated, so that the PPy@TiN/PDMS fabric after air plasma etching and oxydation can quickly heal its water contact angle (WCA) to 156° under light or low voltage conditions. Additionally, the fabric demonstrates an outstanding performance for the separation of various oil-water mixtures and in multiple cycle separation experiments. This study presents a novel approach for extending the longevity of superhydrophobicity and addressing the issue of waste oil treatment.

Polystyrene-reduced graphene oxide composite as sorbent for oil removal from an Oil-Water mixture

This study enhanced the adsorptive capacity of polystyrene (PS) by infusing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanoparticles obtained from the synthesis of graphene oxide to produce PS-rGO composites via electrospinning method. Physicochemical characterization of as-synthesized rGO and PS-rGO were carried out through scanning electron microscopy, N2 physisorption among others. Oil sorption performance of synthesized rGO in crude oil, vegetable oil, fresh engine oil and used engine oil are 130.96 g/g, 121.77 g/g, 105.01 g/g and 100.56 g/g. Oil sorption capacities of electrospun pure PS in crude oil, vegetable oil, fresh engine oil and used engine oil were 46.32 g/g, 38.54 g/g, 35.14 g/g and 32.57 g/g and those of PS-rGO infused with 4 wt% of rGO were found to be 105.52 g/g, 98.86 g/g, 86.25 g/g and 83.47 g/g for crude oil, vegetable oil, fresh engine oil and used engine oil samples respectively. Pseudo second order (PSO) kinetic model fits the sorption data of the four oil samples on the four composite sorbents produced. Intra-particle diffusion (IPD) model evidently showed that sorption of the four oil samples on the four composite sorbents, occurred in three (3) phases. Composites demonstrate high oil adsorption capacity, and are reusable upto three sorption–desorption cycles.

Facile dip-coating of silk fibroin/tannic acid@CaCO3 hybrid film with superhydrophilicity on the surface of polypropylene nonwovens for oil–water separation

Superhydrophilic membrane materials are widely used for oil/water separation due to their excellent resistance to anti-fouling underwater. The key factors for realizing superhydrophilicity of membranes are the introduction of hydrophilic groups and the construction of surface micro/nano roughness structures. Herein, we propose a simple, mild, and green dip-coating method to prepare silk fibroin (SF)-tannic acid (TA)@CaCO3 hybrid film to achieve superhydrophilicity of polypropylene nonwovens (PP). Specifically, the hydrophobic interactions between SF and hydrophobic materials were used to create the pre-coatings. TA molecules were deposited onto the surface of SF via hydrogen bonding to provide phenolic hydroxyl groups for achieving the hydrophilicity of PP membranes. Then, the CaCO3 was synthesized in situ by introducing Ca2+ into the pre-coating while depositing TA to construct micro/nano-roughness structures on the PP membrane surface for obtaining superhydrophilicity. PP-SF-TA@CaCO3 membranes exhibit outstanding superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity, with separation efficiencies exceeding 99 % for a variety of oil–water mixtures and oil-in-water emulsions, and water fluxes ranging from 4000 L m-2h−1 to 5500 L m-2h−1. The separation efficiencies remained above 99 % throughout 50 separation cycles, indicating the excellent separation stability of the modified membranes. Moreover, no significant loss of separation efficiency was observed when separating oil mixtures from harsh water sources, including acidic, alkaline, cold, and hot water. Therefore, the membranes modified by the above process have a promising application in the practical separation of oily wastewater.

Engineering superhydrophobicity: a survey of coating techniques for silicone-based oil-water separation membranes.

Oil spills in the ocean and the release of contaminated wastewater from industries cause significant harm to the ecosystem and water sources. To tackle this environmental problem, oil-water mixture separation has been the subject of extensive research over the past few decades. Improving oil absorbents is crucial in removing organic contaminants from wastewater produced by industrial activities. To this end, there is an increasing need for materials that can efficiently and flexibly recover oils from contaminated ocean waters, industrial wastewater, and other sources. Silicones are often used for this purpose because of their exceptional mechanical and thermal durability, as well as their low toxicity. The materials produced from silicones, such as foam, sponge, or substrate, exhibit excellent oil-absorbing properties (maximum oil absorption range, 23.2-77g/g) and outstanding compression cycles. This article review highlights the advancements in the manufacturing of silicone-based products that have been extensively researched for oil-water separation. Understanding the interdependencies that determine the structure, performance, and manufacturing strategy is essential to producing selective oil absorbents with more commercial potential in the future. Recycling of silicones has also become increasingly important as a goal for the circular economy.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic all-biomass aerogels with ultralight, elasticity and degradability for efficient oily wastewater treatment

Oily wastewater has seriously threatened the water ecology and human health. Superhydrophobic biomass-based aerogels are ideal candidates to remedy the oily wastewater, but facing challenges for the usage of toxic small molecules crosslinker and the rational construction of elasticity. Herein, we employed the natural non-toxic citral as crosslinker, and then constructed a superhydrophobic chitosan/bamboo cellular fibers aerogel (S-CS/BCF-A) with ultra-light, high elasticity and degradation performances. Wherein the hydrolysis of methyltrichlorosilane produced silicon hydride and hydrogen chloride, enhanced the hydrophobicity of the aerogel surface and partially reduced rigidity of the pore walls, respectively. The S-CS/BCF-A displayed outstanding fatigue durability, which benefited for its lamellar-fiber interweaved structure. In addition, this aerogel could undergo tape-peeling, UV radiation, and organic solvents immersion without superhydrophobic variation, even in seriously abrasing that the surface still maintained high hydrophobicity. The as-made aerogel possessed high oil adsorption capacity (17.95–44.57 g/g), combined with pump-supported device for effectively recovering large-area oil spills (66,348 L·m−2·h−1). Furthermore, the resultant aerogel could efficiently separate the immiscible oil-water mixture and emulsifying wastewater (types of Oil-in-Water and Water-in-Oil emulsions). This work provides a rational design method for constructing the elastic, durable and biodegradable aerogels, used for speedy and economical separation of oil-water mixtures.

An asymmetric super-wetting Janus PVDF oil-water separation membrane fabricated by a simple method on a non-woven substrate

Membrane separation technology is an important method of treating oily wastewater with great potential for development. However, preparation of membranes for efficiently separating complex oil-water mixtures continues to be challenging. In this study, a strategy for efficient construction of asymmetric wetting surfaces was designed, and successfully prepared an asymmetric super wetting Janus polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) modified separation membrane to separate complex oil-water emulsion. The composite PVDF membrane was prepared using a non-woven fabric substrate and phase conversion method. Subsequently, composite membrane was rapidly hydrophilic modified on one side using tannic acid and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane under the strong oxidizing effect of oxidant sodium periodate. Then non-woven fabric substrate was peeled off to obtain a Janus PVDF modified separation membrane. The front and back sides of the separation membrane have highly asymmetric micromorphology and wettability. The front side has hydrophilic/underwater oleophobic wettability (with a water contact angle of 31°). The separation efficiency of oil-in-water emulsion is up to 99.5%, while the back side has super lipophilic/underoil hydrophobic wettability (with a water contact angle of 131°). The separation efficiency of water-in-oil emulsion is up to 98.6%, improving the efficiency of oil in water separation and application range.

Atmospheric pressure plasma-treated polyester fabrics for enhanced oil-water mixture separation

In this study, superhydrophilic polyester textiles through atmospheric pressure plasma treatment, targeting their use in oil-water mixture separation was developed. The effect of fabric treatment and grammage variations—79, 103, and 125 g m−2—on the efficiency of separation, flux rates, and overall performance of the separation column was evaluated. The surface properties of the fabricated polyester fabrics were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to analyze their topographical and elemental composition. These analyses indicate APP treatment creates surface micropits and evenly distributes active oxygen, enhancing polyester's hydrophilicity without altering its elemental makeup. The investigation further explored the antifouling capabilities and durability of both the modified and unmodified textiles. Remarkably, the research revealed that utilizing a dual-layer arrangement of the modified textile, possessing a grammage of 125 g m−2, resulted in a flux recovery ratio of 98.66 %. Additionally, the application of a quintuple-layer structure of the modified fabric markedly augmented the separation efficacy to an excess of 99.90 %. Impressively, this high level of efficiency was maintained at 92.20 % even after five usage cycles, a testament to the increased hydrophilicity imparted by the atmospheric pressure plasma processing. Therefore, atmospheric pressure plasma-treated polyester fabrics have shown a promising behavior in the field of oil-water mixture separatrtion.

Double-drying 3D lamellar-structured aerogel membrane for efficient oil-water separation and long-lasting antibacterial activity

Conventional oil-water separation membranes are difficult to establish a trade-off between membrane flux and separation efficiency, and often result in serious secondary contamination due to their fouling issue and non-degradability. Herein, a double drying strategy was introduced through a combination of oven-drying and freeze-drying to create a super-wettable and eco-friendly oil-water separating aerogel membrane (TMAdf). Due to the regular nacre-like structures developed in the drying process and the pores formed by freeze-drying, TMAdf aerogel membrane finally develops regularly arranged porous structures. In addition, the aerogel membrane possesses excellent underwater superoleophobicity with a contact angle above 168° and antifouling properties. TMAdf aerogel membrane can effectively separate different kinds of oil-water mixtures and highly emulsified oil-water dispersions under gravity alone, achieving exceptionally high flux (3693 L·m−2·h−1) and efficiency (99 %), while being recyclable. The aerogel membrane also displays stability and universality, making it effective in removing oil droplets from water in corrosive environments such as acids, salts and alkalis. Furthermore, TMAdf aerogel membrane shows long-lasting antibacterial properties (photothermal sterilization up to 6 times) and biodegradability (completely degraded after 50 days in soil). This study presents new ideas and insights for the fabrication of multifunctional membranes for oil-water separation.