Ultrahigh Permeability Research Articles

Electric Demulsification Membrane Technology for Confined Separation of Oil-Water Emulsions.

Demulsification technology for separation of oil-water (O/W) emulsions, especially those stabilized by surfactants, is urgently needed yet remains highly challenging due to their inherent stability characteristics. Electrocoalescence has emerged as a promising solution owing to its simplicity, efficacy, and versatility, yet hindered by substantial energy consumption (e.g., >50 kWh/m3) along with undesirable Faradic reactions. Herein, we propose an innovative electric demulsification technology that leverages conductive membrane microchannels to confine oil droplets from the oil-water emulsion for achieving high energy-efficient coalescence of oil droplets. The proposed system reduces the required voltage down to 12 V, 2 orders of magnitude lower than that of conventional electrocoalescence systems, while achieving a similar separation efficacy of 91.4 ± 3.0% at a low energy consumption (3 kWh/m3) and an ultrahigh permeability >3000 L/(m2·h·bar). In situ fluorescence microscopy combined with COMSOL simulations provided insight into the fundamental mechanistic steps of an electric demulsification process confined to membrane microchannels: (1) rapid electric-field redistribution of oil droplet surfactant molecules, (2) enhanced collision probability due to confined oil droplet concentration under dielectrophoretic forces, and (3) increased collision efficacy facilitated by the membrane pore structure. This strategy may revolutionize the next generation of demulsification and oil-water separation innovations.

Tartaric acid anion intercalated layered double hydroxides constructed a CO2-favorable transport channel in PIM-1 mixed matrix membranes for CO2/N2 separation

As a unique polymer of intrinsic microporosity, PIM-1 has great potential in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for gas separation with ultra-high permeability. However, the separation performance, e.g. CO2/N2 separation, is still limited by its poor selectivity. In this work, PIM-1-based MMMs containing tartaric acid anion intercalated layered double hydroxides (TA-LDH) nanofillers are successfully prepared. The uniformly dispersed TA-LDH in the PIM-1 matrix contributes to optimizing the stacking of polymer chains for accessible pores, which is conducive to CO2 diffusion. In addition, the assistant experiment and theoretical calculation point out that the -COO-, –OH between the TA-LDH layers had an affinity for CO2, creating a two-dimensional fast transport channel between the enlarged interlayer space. Compared with the pristine PIM-1 membrane, the CO2 permeability and CO2/N2 selectivity of 0.7 % TA-LDH/PIM-1 membrane is increased by 43.19 % and 105.48 %. The excellent gas separation performance with CO2 permeability of 8343.18 Barrer and CO2/N2 selectivity of 39.02 exceeds the 2019 Robson upper limit. This paves a new way to improve the gas separation performance of PIM-1-based MMMs and suggests high perspectives for real applications.

Analysis of classification results of rock cores with different physical properties based on clustering algorithm

Abstract In response to the problem of high difficulty in development caused by different physical properties differences during water flooding in high water bearing oil fields, effective flow unit division and analysis were carried out in Zone 1 of Gangxi through flow unit analysis. The physical property classification of each rock core in the flow unit was determined using the GMM cluster algorithm. The results show that Class I flow units have high permeability and porosity, and good pore permeability performance; The porosity and permeability distribution range of Class II flow units is the widest, with some pore permeability performance comparable to or even higher than Class I, and overall pore permeability performance is good; The porosity and permeability of Class III flow units are lower than the first two types, and their pore permeability performance is relatively poor. The types of core porosity and permeability in the study area can be divided into four categories, with the majority being high permeability, ultra-high permeability, and high permeability. The new research results provide a reference basis for the study of physical property distribution and later well network deployment in the first block of Gangxi District.

Preparation of ultra-high permeability dual-layer Al2O3 hollow fiber supports for zeolite membrane fabrication

Four-channel dual-layer Al2O3 hollow fiber with ultra-high permeability and mechanical strength was prepared by co-extrusion and co-sintering technique for the first time and used as support for NaA zeolite membranes fabrication. The macroporous inner layer of the Al2O3 hollow fiber, composed by large Al2O3 particle, gives supports the high permeability and mechanical strength, while the thin out layer, composed by small particles, provides an even and smooth surface for zeolite membrane growth. By using SiO2 as the sintering aid, the sintering temperature of the inner layer was reduced and match with that of the outer layer. The effects of SiO2 adding amount, sintering temperature, Al2O3 particle size and their content on the structure and properties of the prepared hollow fiber were investigated systematically. At a sintering temperature of 1520 °C, a dual-layer hollow fiber with surface pore size of 0.38 μm and fracture load of 24.52 N, exhibits pure water flux as high as 22.23 m3 m 2 h−1 bar−1. The NaA membrane prepared on this support achieved a flux of 14.14 kg m−2 h−1 and a separation factor >10,000 in pervaporation separation of EtOH/H2O solution (90 wt%, 75 °C). This work provides an efficient and low-cost way to prepare ceramic hollow fiber support for high-performance zeolite membrane fabrication.

In situ conversion of ZnO to ZIF-8 in polyimide for ultra-high permeance organic solvent nanofiltration mixed matrix membranes

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) incorporating ZIF-8 nanoparticles through non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) hold great potential in the organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) field, but their advancement and application have been significantly hindered by ZIF-8’s instability of ZIF-8 in aqueous conditions and major interfacial incompatibilities with polymers. This study presents an approach to overcome these obstacles by initially forming crosslinked ZnO/polyimide (PI) MMMs via NIPS and crosslinking processes, followed by in-situ conversion of ZnO to ZIF-8 within the membrane structure. This method prevents direct contact of ZIF-8 with water, optimizes the interface between ZIF-8 and the polymer, and modulates the pore structure of the membranes. The resulting crosslinked ZIF-8/PI membranes exhibit an ultra-high ethanol permeance of 42.7 L m⁻2 h⁻1 bar⁻1 and a 99.5 % rejection of Rose Bengal dye, surpassing the performance of all state-of-the-art OSN MMMs to our knowledge. Additionally, these membranes also demonstrate excellent separation performance in harsh solvents such as DMF and NMP. The findings of this study not only significantly advance the development of OSN membranes but also offer insights into the optimization of membrane fabrication techniques, setting a new benchmark for the design of high-performance OSN membranes.

Empirical and Computational Evaluation of Hemolysis in a Microfluidic Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator Prototype.

Microfluidic devices promise to overcome the limitations of conventional hemodialysis and oxygenation technologies by incorporating novel membranes with ultra-high permeability into portable devices with low blood volume. However, the characteristically small dimensions of these devices contribute to both non-physiologic shear that could damage blood components and laminar flow that inhibits transport. While many studies have been performed to empirically and computationally study hemolysis in medical devices, such as valves and blood pumps, little is known about blood damage in microfluidic devices. In this study, four variants of a representative microfluidic membrane-based oxygenator and two controls (positive and negative) are introduced, and computational models are used to predict hemolysis. The simulations were performed in ANSYS Fluent for nine shear stress-based parameter sets for the power law hemolysis model. We found that three of the nine tested parameters overpredict (5 to 10×) hemolysis compared to empirical experiments. However, three parameter sets demonstrated higher predictive accuracy for hemolysis values in devices characterized by low shear conditions, while another three parameter sets exhibited better performance for devices operating under higher shear conditions. Empirical testing of the devices in a recirculating loop revealed levels of hemolysis significantly lower (<2 ppm) than the hemolysis ranges observed in conventional oxygenators (>10 ppm). Evaluating the model's ability to predict hemolysis across diverse shearing conditions, both through empirical experiments and computational validation, will provide valuable insights for future micro ECMO device development by directly relating geometric and shear stress with hemolysis levels. We propose that, with an informed selection of hemolysis parameters based on the shear ranges of the test device, computational modeling can complement empirical testing in the development of novel high-flow blood-contacting microfluidic devices, allowing for a more efficient iterative design process. Furthermore, the low device-induced hemolysis measured in our study at physiologically relevant flow rates is promising for the future development of microfluidic oxygenators and dialyzers.

Separate-layer balanced waterflooding development technology for thick and complex carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East

Based on the waterflooding development in carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East, in order to solve the problem of the poor development effects caused by commingled injection and production, taking the thick bioclastic limestone reservoirs of Cretaceous in Iran-Iraq as an example, this paper proposes a balanced waterflooding development technology for thick and complex carbonate reservoirs. This technology includes the fine division of development units by concealed baffles and barriers, the combination of multi well type and multi well pattern, and the construction of balanced water injection and recovery system. Thick carbonate reservoirs in Iran-Iraq are characterized by extremely vertical heterogeneity, development of multi-genesis ultra-high permeability zones, and highly concealed baffles and barriers. Based on the technologies of identification, characterization, and sealing evaluation for concealed baffles and barriers, the balanced waterflooding development technology is proposed, and three types of balanced waterflooding development modes/techniques are formed, namely, conventional stratigraphic framework, fine stratigraphic framework, and deepened stratigraphic framework. Numerical simulations show that this technology is able to realize a fine and efficient waterflooding development to recover, in a balanced manner, the reserves of thick and complex carbonate reservoirs in Iran and Iraq. The proposed technology provides a reference for the development optimization of similar reservoirs.

Opinions on the Development of Ultrahigh Permeation Membranes

In this work, recent progresses made in the development of membranes with ultrahigh permeation rate for reverse osmosis (RO) and membrane distillation (MD) are briefly summarized and the future prospect of those membranes is discussed. In fabrication of ultrahigh permeation RO membranes, carbon nanotube, aquaporin, graphene and fluorous oligoamide nanorings were used and in all of them several orders of magnitude higher fluxes than the conventional commercial membranes were achieved. Ultrahigh MD membranes were fabricated mostly from carbonaceous materials also with several orders of magnitude higher fluxes than conventional commercial membranes, except for those made of ultrathin polymeric material, which demonstrated a high flux at a low transmembrane temperature difference. Despite these remarkable achievements, it was concluded that many challenges would be encountered to produce a sufficient amount of water by the so-called membrane chips.

Amine-functionalized metal organic framework@graphene oxide as filler in PAEK-containing carboxyl group membrane for ultrafiltration with ultra-high permeability and strong fouling resistance

Achieving high fouling resistance and permeability using membrane separation technology in water treatment processes remains a challenge. In this work, a novel mixed matrix membrane (PAEK-COOH/UiO-66-NH2@GO) with superb fouling resistance and high permeability was prepared by the nonsolvent induced phase separation method, by in-situ growth of UiO-66-NH2 on graphene oxide (GO) layer, and by preparing hydrophilic poly(arylene ether ketone) (PAEK) containing carboxyl groups (PAEK-COOH). On the basis of the structure and performance analysis of the mixed matrix membrane (MMMs), the maximum water flux reached 591.25 L·m–2·h–1 for PAEK-COOH/UiO-66-NH2@GO, while the retention rate for bovine serum albumin increased from 85.40% to 94.87%. As the loading gradually increased, the hydrophilicity of the MMMs increased, significantly enhancing their fouling resistance. The strongest anti-fouling ability observed was 94.74%, which was 2.02 times greater than that of the pure membrane. At the same time, the MMMs contained internal amide and hydrogen bonds during the preparation process, forming a cross-linked structure, which further enhanced the mechanical strength and chemical stability. In summary, the MMMs with high retention rate, strong permeability, and anti-fouling ability were successfully prepared.

In situ growth of ZIF-8 on nanofibrous membrane for long-term ultra-high flux coalescence separation of oil-in-water emulsion

The presence of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions poses a serious threat to the equilibrium of aquatic ecosystems, contaminates potable water resources, and disrupts the structure of soil layers. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective and economically viable methods for removing emulsified oil droplets from water. The coalescence method has been proposed as an effective means of separating O/W emulsions. In this study, we developed an in situ growth strategy to decorate zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers for coalescence separation. The in situ growth process commenced with pretreatment to activate the PAN membrane, creating anchor sites for zinc ions, which was followed by immersion in precursors of ZIF-8 particles. The incorporation of ZIF-8 enhanced amphiphilicity, and roughness, and imparted a positive charge to the membrane, which was anticipated to effectively demulsify and coalesce oil droplets with a negative charge. The ZIF-8/PAN nanofiber membrane obtained a separation ratio exceeding 99.9 % for surfactant-free emulsions and 97.1 % for surfactant-stabilized emulsions. It also demonstrated an ultra-high permeation flux of 21,177 L m−2 h−1 and 14,118 L m−2 h−1, respectively, in a long-term continuous separation process.

Regulating ion affinity and dehydration of metal-organic framework sub-nanochannels for high-precision ion separation

Membrane consisting of ordered sub-nanochannels has been pursued in ion separation technology to achieve applications including desalination, environment management, and energy conversion. However, high-precision ion separation has not yet been achieved owing to the lack of deep understanding of ion transport mechanism in confined environments. Biological ion channels can conduct ions with ultrahigh permeability and selectivity, which is inseparable from the important role of channel size and “ion-channel” interaction. Here, inspired by the biological systems, we report the high-precision separation of monovalent and divalent cations in functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes (UiO-66-(X)2, X = NH2, SH, OH and OCH3). We find that the functional group (X) and size of the MOF sub-nanochannel synergistically regulate the ion binding affinity and dehydration process, which is the key in enlarging the transport activation energy difference between target and interference ions to improve the separation performance. The K+/Mg2+ selectivity of the UiO-66-(OCH3)2 membrane reaches as high as 1567.8. This work provides a gateway to the understanding of ion transport mechanism and development of high-precision ion separation membranes.

An ultra-high permeability membrane composed of graphene oxide nanosheets supported by a MOF framework utilized for dye separation

Ultra-high permeability separation of Congo red dye is achieved by using a UiO/GO membrane.

Activated carbon fibers functionalized with superhydrophilic coated pDA/TiO2/SiO2 with photoluminescent self-cleaning properties for efficient oil-water separation

The adhesion of high-viscosity oil contamination poses limitations on three-dimensional (3D) materials' practical use in treating oilfield-produced water (OPW). In this study, we developed a hybrid pDA/TiO2/SiO2 coating (PTS) on the surface of hydrophilic activated carbon (ACF1) through a combination of dopamine (DA) polymerization, ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis, and the condensation of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with SiO2 NPs. This coating was designed for gravity-based oil-water separation. The inherent porosity and generous pore size of ACF1-PTS conferred it an ultra-high permeation flux (pure water flux of 3.72 × 105 L∙m−2∙h−1), allowing it to effectively separate simulated oil-water mixtures and oil-water emulsions while maintaining exceptional permeation flux and oil rejection efficiency. When compared to cleaning methods involving ethanol aqueous solutions and NaClO, ultraviolet (UV) illumination cleaning proved superior, enabling oil-contaminated ACF1-PTS to exhibit remarkable flux recovery efficiency and oil-removal capabilities during cyclic separation of actual OPW. Furthermore, the ACF1-PTS material demonstrated impressive stability and durability when exposed to acidic environments (acid, alkali, and salt), robust hydraulic washout conditions, and 25-cycle tests. This study offers valuable insights and research avenues for the development of highly efficient and environmentally friendly 3D oil-water separation materials for the actual treatment of OPW.

A facile synthesis of monolithic MOF single crystal for gas separation via a supersaturation strategy

Large-area metal–organic framework (MOF) single crystal membrane materials hold great appeal in gas separation field due to their outstanding separation selectivity and permeability. Nevertheless, it is currently difficult to prepare MOF single crystals large enough for gas separation tests owing to the limited manufacturing processes. In this work, we fabricate a self-supporting MOF single crystal (Co-btec SC) membrane with 0.3 × 0.1 cm2 dimension via a facile supersaturation synthesis strategy. Benefiting from the one-dimensional (1D) transmission pathway and three-dimensional (3D) connection network, the obtained Co-btec SC has ultra-high permeability of 47,647 Barrer. Besides, the H2O molecules firmly filled in the pore channels greatly improve the affinity and solubility for CO2, and thus Co-btec SC yields CO2 preferential permeation in CO2/H2 mixture with superior CO2/H2 selectivity of 18.79. In addition, the Co-btec SC shows dramatic high-temperature and high-humidity separation stabilities. To demonstrate the versatility of this strategy, we also successfully fabricated hydrogen-bonded organic framework single crystals (HOF SCs) with the size of about 0.4 cm. This supersaturation strategy opens a new way to fabricate the large-area MOF single crystal membranes.

MOF-derived 2D Co@C nanosheet membrane with enhanced catalytic activity: Mechanism and stability insights

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) membranes have recently gained attention as novel material membranes for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Nonetheless, the susceptibility of 2D MOFs to reactive oxygen species (ROS) limits 2D MOF membranes’ effectiveness in AOPs. In this study, we introduce a novel approach, fabricating a 2D Co-MOF-derived nanosheet membrane (referred to as Co@C NS), assembled from pyrolyzed and exfoliated Co-MOF nanosheets, for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the removal of bisphenol A (BPA). Crucially, the synthesis process involves the pyrolysis of a carbon layer, serving as a protective barrier. This barrier effectively prevents the release of Co ions, ensuring the long-term structural and catalytic stability of the Co@C NS membrane. Notably, the membrane exhibits remarkable capabilities in discriminating between natural organic matter (NOM) and BPA through size exclusion, significantly mitigating the impact of NOM competition for ROS. Additionally, our study demonstrates an exceptional removal efficiency, achieving 100% BPA removal at an ultrahigh permeance of 1100 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, corresponding to an exceedingly short retention time of 0.14 s. Our mechanistic investigation reveals the involvement of singlet oxygen and sulfate radicals in the removal of BPA within the nanochannels, facilitated by the nanoconfinement effect. This study introduces valuable strategies for the development of 2D MOF-derived nanosheet membranes characterized by high catalytic activity and excellent stability, underlining their practical potential in AOP applications.

Bio-inspired, biodegradable, and fluffy 3D PLA fibrous sponges with dynamic fractal nano-sweepers for on-demand oil/water separation

Frequent oil leakage results in a huge waste of fossil fuel resources and severely threatens the global water-waste-energy nexus. Membrane separation technology is a promising effective and energy-saving approach for recycling waste oil resources and oily-environment remediation. Despite many bioinspired materials with the mitigated selectivity/permeability trade-off having been developed, a significant issue has been ignored, that is, most of the membranes are non-biodegradable and could cause secondary environmental pollution. In this work, inspired by the natural 3D coral organisms with sustainable fiber tentacles; we propose a biomimetic crystal-engineering strategy of space-confined solvent-induced recrystallization to prepare a 3D biodegradable PLA fibrous sponge with coral-like nanoflower/honeycomb sweeper arrays. By virtue of the coral-like nanoporous fractal arrays with superhydrophobicity and proactive fouling resistance, the resulting PLA sponge exhibits excellent separation performance of immiscible oil–water mixtures (ultrahigh permeation flux of up to 27,908 L m-2h−1) and water-in-oil emulsions (high separation efficiency of up to 99.9 %). Significantly, with the advantage of biodegradability and recyclability of PLA, we envision such environmentally friendly PLA fibrous sponges would show promising potential in the fields of environmental remediation, oil recovery, self-cleaning, etc.

Step-Nucleation In Situ Self-Repair to Prepare Rollable Large-Area Ultrathin MOF Membranes.

Ultrathin membranes with ultrahigh permeance and good gas selectivity have the potential to greatly decrease separation process costs, but it requires the practical preparation of large area membranes for implementation. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are very attractive for membrane gas separation applications. However, to date, the largest MOF membrane area reported in the literature is only about 100 cm2 . In the present study, a new step-nucleation in situ self-repair strategy is proposed that enables the preparation of large-area (2400 cm2 ) ultrathin and rollable MOF membranes deposited on an inexpensive flexible polymer membrane support layer for the first time, combining a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-metal-ion layer and a pure metal-ion layer. The main role of the pure metal-ion layer is to act as the main nucleation sites for MOF membrane growth, while the PVA-metal-ion layer acts as a slow-release metal-ion source, which supplements MOF crystal nucleation to repair any defects occurring. Membrane modules are necessary components for membrane applications, and spiral-wound modules are among the most common module formats that are widely applied in gas separation. A 4800 cm2 spiral-wound membrane modulewas successfully prepared, demonstrating the practical implementation of large-area MOF membranes.

Activate the filtration capability of 3.5 nm ultra-large pores and eliminate the requirement of pore homogeneity for carbon nanotube array membranes

Vertical array carbon nanotube (VACNT) membrane is considered as one of the most promising materials for seawater desalination due to its excellent porosity, strong mechanical properties and atomic smoothness of the inner wall. However, in practical applications, the synthesis of highly oriented VACNT arrays with uniform pore sizes (< 1.1 nm) needs to be strictly controlled, and achieving high permeability-retention for large pores (> 1.1 nm) is a great challenge. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to introduce the oscillation paradigm into VACNT filtration membranes with a heterogeneous pore network with a wide pore size distribution (ranging from 1 nm to 3.5 nm). Notably, the oscillating heterogeneous VACNT membrane achieved ultra-high permeability of 1421.8 L/cm2/day/MPa (~5 times speed increase in comparison with homogeneous VACNT and ~ 2 times over state-of-the-art CNT membranes), while maintaining a selectivity of 97.5 %. This method activates the filtration capacity of 3.5 nm ultra-large pores, eliminating the requirement for pore homogeneity in VACNT, and achieves the effect of “killing two birds with one stone”. In addition, the filtration performance of specific heterogeneous VACNT membrane was successfully predicted by water permeability curve fitting, which provided valuable theoretical guidance for the design of high-performance VACNT reverse osmosis desalination system.

Hollow fiber PSF fine porous supports with ultrahigh permeance for composite membrane fabrication: Novel inert bore liquid (IBL) spinning technique

The development of high-performance thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membranes coated on top of porous supports is a hot topic both in industry and in science. However, it has been documented in recent literature that a porous support can hinder mass transfer through a composite membrane. Taking this into account, ultra-high permeable polysulfone (PSF) hollow fiber supports with an outer porous skin layer suitable for the fabrication of composite membranes were developed in this work. To address this ambitious challenge, the concept of spinning with an inert bore liquid (IBL) using wet air gap conditions was developed and successfully implemented. While the external non-solvent (water) ensures the formation of a thin porous skin layer, the inert bore liquid makes it possible to implement two important conditions for the formation of macropores on the lumen side of the hollow fiber: i) the coagulant enters only from the outer side of the dope solution layer, ii) there is no noticeable transport of the dope solution components into the inert bore liquid and vice versa. The following alkanes were studied as the IBL: pentane, hexane, heptane, and iso-octane. For example, using hexane and heptane as the bore liquids, PSF hollow fiber supports with high values of CO2 gas permeance, namely 20400 and 36700 GPU, respectively, were achieved. These values are an order of magnitude larger than the permeance of similar PSF supports reported in the literature. The presence of macropores on the lumen side of these hollow fibers was demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. Composite membranes with a selective layer of polydecylmethylsiloxane (PDecMS) were coated and the separation of an eight-component mixture of C1-C4 hydrocarbons in a hollow fiber module was studied. Using a modified resistance model, it was shown that the absence of a skin layer on the lumen side of the hollow fiber reduced the support resistance and increased the contribution of the PDecMS selective layer to the total resistance of the composite membrane (for N2 and CO2: from 11.3% to 21.2 % and from 13 % to 20.5 %, respectively).

Preparation of citric acid-modified cellulose materials with superwetting and antibacterial characteristics for highly-efficient separation of oil/water mixtures, emulsions, and dye-containing wastewater

Oil/water separation has become a pressing global challenge in the recent times due to the rapid increase in the development of industries, frequent oil spills, and chemical leakages. Therefore, it is in great demand to develop superwetting materials from bio-based and cheap substances for treating oil/water mixtures and emulsions. Herein, we prepared citric acid (CA)-modified cellulose materials (including cotton fabric and raw cotton) with superwetting properties through a green dip-coating approach. The as-prepared CA-modified cellulose materials showed superamphiphilicity in air and superoleophobicity underwater. The CA-modified cotton fabric (CMCF) can be utilized to treat oil/water mixtures and demonstrated remarkably high permeation fluxes (up to 107,900 L m−2h−1) along with excellent separation efficiency (>99.99 %). The CA-modified raw cotton (CMRC) was applied for separating both surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water and surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions (SSOIWEs and SSWIOEs) exhibiting ultra-high permeation fluxes (up to 8,960 and 25,080 L m−2h−1, respectively) under gravity. The separation efficiencies of SSOIWEs surpassed 99.18 % and the filtrates’ oil purity for SSWIOEs exceeded 99.98 %. In addition, the CMRC could be used to treat dye aqueous solutions and dye-containing emulsions. Moreover, CMRC also exhibited good antibacterial properties. Because of their excellent oil/water mixtures and emulsions separation abilities, green preparation process, and ease of mass production, our CA-modified cellulose materials have notable potential for practical applications.