Continuous Water Flow Research Articles

A comprehensive review on pituitary hydroscopy and the role of endoscopic diving techniques

Pituitary hydroscopy is a new technique in skull base surgery that involves transnasal neuroendoscopy and gentle fluid distention of the sella turcica. Hydroscopy allows for a more thorough inspection of the sellar region and may make it easier to remove additional tumour cell foci. Endoscopic Diving Technique, on the other hand, uses a continuous water flow that is driven in front of the endoscope to aid explore the surgical cavity and improve image clarity. After tumour removal, a double-path aspirator is implanted inside the sella turcica and tumour cavity, providing a pressured flow with continuous irrigation in the Modified Endoscopic Diving Technique. Several groups' recent uses of diving techniques attest to the increased interest in these approaches. The development of dedicated surgical devices will improve the efficacy of diving procedures in the future. More research is needed right now to improve the effectiveness of diving techniques.

Electrical resistance tomography-based multi-modality sensor and drift flux model for measurement of oil–gas–water flow

This paper proposes a novel method to measure each constituent of an oil–gas–water mixture in a water continuous flow, typically encountered in many processes. It deploys a dual-plane electrical resistance tomography sensor for measuring dispersed phase volume fraction and velocity; a gradiomanometer flow density meter and a drift flux model to estimate slip velocities; with absolute pressure and temperature measurements. These data are fused to estimate constituent volume flow rates. Other commonly used operational parameters can be further derived: water cut or water liquid ratio (WLR) and gas volume fraction (GVF). Trials are described for flow rates of water 5–10 m3 h−1; oil 2–10 m3 h−1 and gas 1–15 m3 h−1. The comparative results are included with published data from the Schlumberger Gould Research flow facility. The paper proposes the use of the described configuration for measurement of volume flow rates in oil–gas–water flows with an absolute error of ±10% within GVF 9%–85% and WLR > 45%.

Membrane-Assisted Electrochlorination for Zero-Chemical-Input Point-of-Use Drinking Water Disinfection.

Due to the challenges of providing centralized drinking water infrastructure in low-income and rural settings, point-of-use (POU) disinfection systems are an attractive option for enhancing access to safe drinking water. Electrochlorinators offer an easily scalable and adaptable alternative to POU disinfection systems that require frequent replenishment and accurate dosing of chlorine, but they also require addition of salts on a regular basis. To address this need, we developed an electrochemical disinfection system that efficiently produces chlorine without any chemical inputs. To convert the low concentration of chloride in source waters (i.e., 10-200 mg L-1) to free chlorine (i.e., HOCl/OCl-), an anion exchange membrane was positioned between two electrodes, creating two separate chambers. By providing continuous water flow through the catholyte while operating the anolyte in the batch mode, chloride was concentrated into the anolyte, where it was more efficiently converted into chlorine. This approach allowed us to produce chlorine at rates that were about 50% faster than that of an undivided cell operating under similar conditions. Chlorate production was approximately 20% slower in the separated cell compared to an undivided cell; concentrations in finished water never exceeded the World Health Organization's provisional guideline value of 0.7 mg L-1. The performance of the system was further improved by retaining some of the anolyte between operating cycles. This helped avoid periods of high cell potential before salts were concentrated in the anolyte chamber. Use of an anion exchange membrane and a recycled anolyte mode of operation reduced energy consumption by 30%-70% relative to an undivided cell. The energy required to disinfect water ranged from approximately 0.05 to 1 kWh m-3, depending on the chloride content and conductivity of the source water.

Event mean concentration and first flush from residential catchments in different climate zones

Most studies on EMC (Event mean concentration) and first flush are reported as local studies; however variations of EMC and first flush across catchments in different climate zones has not been studied. This research collected continuous flow and discrete water quality data and rainfall measurements from 17 catchments, EMC and rainfall data from 14 catchments, and an additional dataset where only average EMC values are reported (19 catchments). The data are from residential sites across temperate, tropical, dry, and continental climate zones and include water quality parameters in particulate (total suspended solids), mixed (total nitrogen and total phosphorus) and dissolved (orthophosphate and ammonium nitrogen) forms. Our study shows that EMC differs significantly between climate zones. The average EMC is highest in dry followed by continental and temperate, with lowest in the tropical zone. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that the rainfall depth is negatively correlated with EMC for particulate and mixed form parameters for the tropical, temperate and dry zones, but positively correlated for the continental zone. The discrete time-series data from the 17 catchments were used to evaluate first flush and it was found that catchments in the tropics exhibit stronger first flush than temperate zone catchments, for all the water quality parameters with particulate showing a stronger first flush compared to dissolved forms. Based on the distribution of the data, new limits for very strong, strong, moderate, and very weak to no first flush are suggested for TSS for different climate zones. The new limits were quantified by fitting the function L^=V^bwhere L^and V^are the normalized cumulative runoff load and volume, respectively. For catchments in the tropics, this corresponds to b < 0.47, 0.6 > b > 0.47, 0.76 > b > 0.6 and b > 0.76, respectively. For the temperate zone, b < 0.5, 0.67 > b > 0.5, 0.85 > b > 0.67 and b > 0.85, are appropriate. From a design perspective, the FF20 concept defined as the load corresponding to 20% runoff volume, is often used. The ranges FF20 < 0.27, 0.36 > FF20 > 0.27, 0.45 > FF20 > 0.36 and FF20 > 0.45 and FF20 < 0.24, 0.31 > FF20 > 0.24, 0.31 > FF20 > 0.39 and FF20 > 0.39 are proposed for tropical and temperate catchments, respectively. Other limits for TP, TN, OP and NH4-N are also suggested. This is the first study of its kind and an expended dataset especially for continental and dry regions is needed to further validate the findings.

Knittable Composite Fiber Allows Constant and Tremendous Self‐Powering Based on the Transpiration‐Driven Electrokinetic Effect

AbstractThe electrokinetic effect allows harvesting renewable energy directly from moisture, sweat, and rainwater, which is one of the promising techniques for self‐powered electronics. However, current fibrous hygroelectric nanogenerators still suffer from either an intermittent energy harvesting mode or a limited electricity supply. Herein, learning from the transpiration process in plants, a conductive and hydrophilic cellulose/carbon nanotubes fiber is reported, in which continuous and efficient water flow can be driven by the macromolecular chain channel and spontaneous evaporation. In combination with the electrokinetic mechanism, just a single self‐powered fiber is found to produce a constant and tremendous open‐circuit voltage of 160.4 mV and a considerable power density up to 0.4 mW cm−3. This record‐high output performance with the feature of continuity and durability is about one order of magnitude higher than that of most conventional fibrous hygroelectric nanogenerators. Eventually, 108 fibers in series or parallel are woven into flexible fabrics, yielding the maximum power supply of 1.2 V with only 10 min charging time, capable of powering an electronic calculator. This work fabricates a knittable and designable self‐powering fiber with excellent aesthetics and comfort for practical application, offering a novel concept and an effective approach toward clean energy usage.

Design and Implementation of Level Control Management: Level Manager

Water is one of the basic needs of all living beings. Wastage of water is one of the most significant reasons for water shortage around the world. At the household level, overflow of water from the overhead tanks may happen without our knowledge. Hence to prevent this and to save water at least for a certain extent, implementation of an automatic water level manager can be a solution. Significance of the proposed system is that the device can detect the level of water in the overhead tank and according to the level of water, the motor pump is switched on/off automatically by Arduino. Level of water in the sump can also be monitored. The information is sent to the controller for a decision whether water has to be pumped to the overhead tank. Additionally, the system senses continuous flow of water, if present, as possible leakage and issues alarm.

Effect of Continuous Working Fluid Flow Direction on Power Generation from Piezoelectric Sensors

This paper presents an experimental study to support the concept of generating energy by a continuous flow of water using piezoelectric sensors. This study is aimed to determine the effect of external force direction of continuous water flow, i.e., vertical and horizontal, on the output of the piezoelectric sensors. The piezoelectric type of ABT-441-RC is used and arranged in parallel. IC MAX471 as an amplifier and Arduino Uno R3 to read the flow rate, voltage, and current were employed. Flow rates with variations of 0.00011 up to 0.00030 m3/s are set to study the voltage and current of the output. The numbers of piezoelectric sensors used are 4, 6, 8, and 20. As a result, it is found that the pressure in the vertical direction differs up to 68% from the pressure in the horizontal one. The voltage and current in the vertical direction, compared to that of the horizontal direction, differ as much as 85% at a low flow rate and decrease down to 63% at a high flow rate for voltage and 86% to 34% at a low to high flow rate for current. In conclusion, the current generation by the present arrangement is within the micro-ampere range, and the voltage is in a volt range, respectively.

Anchorage by seed mucilage prevents seed dislodgement in high surface flow: a mechanistic investigation.

Seed mucilage is a common and highly diverse trait shared among thousands of angiosperm species. While it has long been recognized that mucilage allows seeds to anchor to substrates (antitelechory), resisting abiotic and biotic dislodgement, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of this process. We propose a mechanistic model of how mucilage affects substrate anchorage and fluid resistance, ultimately contributing to dislodgement resistance. To test this model, we subjected mucilaginous seeds of 52 species, varying in eight measured seed traits, to 7 d of continuous water flow at a range of dislodgement potentials. Supporting our model, mucilage mass increased the force necessary to dislodge both dry and wet seeds; our measurement of the dislodgement force of dry mucilage explained time to dislodgement well. The effect size was remarkably large; increasing the standardized mucilage mass by 1 s.d. resulted in a 280-fold increase in the time to dislodgement. Fluid resistance was largely dependent on the speed of water flow and the seed's modified drag coefficient, but not seed traits. Neither mucilage expansion speed nor mucilage decay rate explained dislodgement potential well. Our results suggest that the degree of anchorage to a substrate, measured with a simple dislodgement force assay, is highly predictive of mucilaginous seed retention in highly erosive environments. In contrast, we found that other seed and mucilage traits are of lesser importance to anchorage.

MOFs decorated sugarcane catalytic filter for water purification

MOFs nanoparticles decorated sugarcane-based cellulose hierarchical porous framework as a free-standing catalytic filter for water purification. • ZIF-67 are in-situ immobilized on sugarcane to achieve ZIF-67@SC catalytic filter. • The ZIF-67@SC shows high catalytic activity and treatment flux for MB degradation. • The amount of ZIF-67 loaded regulates the catalytic performance of ZIF-67@SC. • Dominant free radicals (SO 4 - · and ·OH) during MB degradation are verified. • Proof-of-concept continuous-flow water purification devices are demonstrated. Developing high-performance catalytic filter with both high removal efficiency and ultra-high flux, especially under gravity-driven conditions, is of great significance yet still a fundamental challenge in organic wastewater purification. Herein, a high-efficiency gravity-driven catalytic filter, ZIF-67 decorated sugarcane that is denoted as ZIF-67@SC sponge, is successfully constructed by the in-situ growing ZIF-67 nanoparticles inside the channels of biomass sugarcane skeleton. Pretreatment of cellulose fibers with alkali can set the nucleation sites for the ZIF-67 nanocrystals decoration on the sugarcane skeleton, which originates from the ion exchange between Co 2+ and Na + . The effect of the perforated plate structures of sugarcane on fluid obstruction and the widely distributed ZIF-67 nanoparticles can synergistically enhance the contraction between organic pollutants and ZIF-67 nanoparticles. The resultant ZIF-67@SC sponge therefore exhibits the superior removal efficiency up to 86.99 % for methylene blue (MB) in water with the water treatment flux of ∼ 2720 L m -2 h −1 under the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Importantly, the ZIF-67@SC sponge catalytic filter can be readily regenerated by a simple methanol washing, maintaining the removal efficiency of 82.09 % after even 10 continuous regeneration cycles. Furthermore, the ZIF-67@SC sponge catalytic filter can be facilely engineer as a continuous-flow catalytic reactor like a water purifier for high throughout wastewater purification. It’s believed that relying on the outstanding catalytic performance of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and the unique skeletons of sugarcane and other biomass materials, the present outcomes can be promising by extended to the large-scale water remediation.

Ecosafety Screening of Photo-Fenton Process for the Degradation of Microplastics in Water

Microplastic pollution is receiving increased attention due to the realization of its hazards to aquatic and human life. Researchers across the globe are attempting to remove microplastics before its entry into the ecosystem. Therefore, the present work focused on the removal of microplastic from water and studied the potential risks for marine organisms and the ecosystem. The removal of model microplastics, polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), has been studied by using photo-Fenton process. ZnO nanorods coated with SnOx(x &amp;lt; 2) layer and decorated with zero valent iron (Fe0) nanoparticles was used as heterogeneous catalyst for the removal of the microplastics in continuous water flow device. The obtained results demonstrated that high degradation efficiency of PP and PVC microplastics was achieved in a relatively short time and more than 95% of the average particle volume was reduced after 1 week of irradiation. The environmental impact of the photo-Fenton process of the microplastics degradation was investigated by using an ecotoxicological approach. An ecosafety screening has been performed through a series of experiments (bioassays) under controlled conditions, testing water samples after the photo-Fenton degradation of microparticles using a lab scale device. The ecotoxicological impact has been investigated by applying a battery of certified bioassays (UNI EN ISO/EPA standardized techniques) on aquatic organisms at different trophic levels (bacteria, algae, invertebrates). The results obtained on the three model organisms (A. fischeri, P. subcapitata, and D. magna) revealed no toxic effect for samples collected both before and after the photo-Fenton process, thus showing the absence of toxic by-products development during the degradation process.

Multi-Bioinspired Janus Copper Mesh for Improved Gravity-Irrelevant Directional Water Droplet and Flow Transport.

A conceptually novel multi-bioinspired strategy based on structures and functions derived from the Namib desert beetle and lotus leaf is proposed in this paper. The proposed scheme synergistically combines the features of alternating wettability patterns and asymmetric wettability for improved directional water transport. Consequently, a Janus copper mesh, which substantially outperforms other single-bioinspired synthetic materials, is produced. The Janus copper mesh achieves directional self-transportation of tiny water droplets and continuous water flow in a gravity-irrelevant or an anti-gravity manner without energy consumption. This depends on the asymmetric wettability and alternating hydrophobic-hydrophilic wettability patterns on the hydrophobic surface of the mesh. In particular, Janus copper shows remarkable selective directional water transport in a water-oil system, rendering it a promising candidate for practical applications.

Thermally induced continuous water flow in long nanotube channels

Despite its importance for nanofluidic systems, achieving continuous water flow in long nanochannels remains a major challenge. Here, we propose a general principle to overcome this challenge by introducing a method that involves the building of a series of cascadable driving units, each unit carrying a net thermal gradient force, to maintain continuous water flow in an arbitrarily long nanochannel. Using molecular dynamics simulations and analytical modeling, we show that, within a single driving unit, the net thermal gradient force can be achieved through a multitude of strategies, including geometrical (e.g., a localized confinement), mechanical (e.g., a localized pinch), electrical (e.g., a point electric charge) and chemical (e.g., a point functionalization). The proposed method has fundamental significance for nanofluidic systems and potential applications in nanoscale mass transport and energy conversion devices.

Distribution, composition and environmental correlates of high-altitude gravelly pavement herbfields in north-eastern Victoria, Australia

Context Gravelly pavement herbfields are a rare, geographically restricted community found in high mountain areas of south-eastern Australia. Gravelly pavement plant communities occur where there is continuous waterflow, with vegetation comprising sparse, semi-aquatic species on a rock or gravel substratum. Aims This study aimed to further the understanding of the community on the Bogong High Plains, Victoria, by asking questions relating to their location, structure and floristic composition. In particular, we ask what determines the distribution of pavement communities at the landscape-scale; and what abiotic factors govern between- and within-site vegetation patterns? Results Gravelly pavement communities were associated with groundwater outflows and are likely to be formed by an interaction between surface waterflow and slope. This work adds to the current understanding of wetland types in high-mountain Australia because, to our knowledge, this relationship has not been previously described. Floristic patterns vary with slope and elevation, with high-elevation pavements on steep slopes being floristically dissimilar to those at lower elevation on flatter slopes. Species richness was consistent across sites and only a few species were found at high abundance. Within-site patterning is apparent in most pavements, attributable to abiotic factors such as rockiness and water availability, leading to characteristic vegetation patterns. Species such as the sedge Oreobolus pumilio occur on the margins of pavements where water levels are variable, whereas forbs such as Psychrophila introloba are typically found in the middle of pavements where there is constant water supply. Conclusions Gravelly pavement communities are groundwater-dependant ecosystems, restricted at the landscape-scale and contain many rare species and, as such, deserve higher levels of protection than is currently offered.

Air nanobubbles (ANBs) incorporated sandwich-structured carbon nanotube membranes (CNM) for highly permeable and stable forward osmosis

The selective transport of water/ions through conventional forward osmosis (FO) membranes is largely impeded by solution-diffusion and internal concentration polarization (ICP). Herein, we report a novel air nanobubbles (ANBs) incorporated sandwich-structured carbon nanotube membrane (CNM) for highly permeable and stable FO desalination by taking advantage of the nanofluidic transport at the solid/liquid/vapor interface. Fluorinated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) were assembled as the superhydrophobic interlayer between a hydrophilic cellulose acetate (CA) layer and a hydrophilic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous layer. The trapped ANBs in the superhydrophobic F-MWCNT layer crucially regulated the continuous water flow and effectively prevented salt diffusion. When tested with DI water as feed solution (FS) and 1 ​M NaCl as draw solution (DS), the ANBs incorporated sandwich-structured CNM achieved high water flux (158.0 ​L ​m−2 ​h−1) and ultralow reverse salt flux (0.4 ​g ​m−2 ​h−1) simultaneously, far beyond the state-of-the-art FO membranes. The PAN nanofibrous layer well protected the entrapped ANBs to allow a more durable FO performance. An ANBs-regulated nanofluidic flow model was proposed to elucidate selective water/salt transport mechanism. This work revealed the feasibility of ANBs incorporated membranes for osmosis-driven processes.

Flow Loop Study of ECT-Based Volume Fraction Monitoring in Oil–Water Two-Phase Flows

Measurement of phase volume fractions in water-containing multiphase flows is necessary for the optimization of a host of industrial flow processes. Many water-containing multiphase flows can be classified as either water-dispersed or water-continuous mixtures. A recently developed approach based on Hanai&#x2019;s mixture formula and utilizing electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) sensors have shown good potential for obtaining water volume fraction estimates in two-phase water-containing flows with different water salinity levels. However, the proposed approach was investigated via controlled experiments restricted to static configurations while, in practice, multiphase flows can be dynamic and unpredictable. In this work, we perform a flow loop study of the proposed ECT-based method for volume fraction estimation in oil-water two-phase flows. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method in both water-dispersed and water-continuous flow regimes by employing different types of capacitive sensors in cylindrical arrangements and in parallel-plate rectangular arrangements.

Assessing the Operational Performance and Stakeholders’ Perceptions on the Management of Three Irrigation Projects in Kano, Nigeria

A study was conducted to assess the level of operational performance and stakeholders’ participation in, and perceptions on, the management of three major irrigation projects in Kano State, Nigeria (Kano River Irrigation Project KRIP, Watari Irrigation Project WIP and Tomas Irrigation Project TIP). The study uses questionnaire, site visit and focus group discussions during the 2019/2020 irrigation season to generate crucial information related to the hydraulic infrastructures and operational performances. The study identified some problems related to operational performance affecting the three irrigation projects including illegal water use, faulty water conveyance infrastructures and conflict among water users and between water users and managers. Moreover, the study observed that a continuous flow water allocation method is being used in all three irrigation projects, leading to poor water allocation performance. Based on this, the study recommends a rotation water allocation method. About 50% of the total water users from KRIP, WIP and TIP do not participate in the maintenance of the irrigation infrastructures. The study revealed that the majority of the farmers have no confidence in water managers’ competence whereas water managers accused irrigators to lack enthusiasm and provided evidence of unlawful water usage as about 12, 8 and 39% of the irrigators from KRIP, WIP and TIP admitted to having been lifting water using pumps which have been considered as illegal since their farms were initially considered non-irrigable. Some of the underlying issues that led to these problems include lack of sensitization and awareness campaigns, seminars and workshops to facilitate farmers’ involvement in the maintenance of irrigation infrastructures. This can be achieved through sensitization and awareness campaigns to enlighten farmers on resolving conflicts, efficient use of limited water, and facilitating water users’ participation in irrigation management activities such as agency-farmer joint management. If such dialogue programs do not bring an end to these problems, other law enforcement measures such as legal actions need to be deployed. It is, therefore, recommended that the existing irrigation project management strategies need to be changed with new ones that encourage sensitization campaigns, law enforcement and participation. Also, in-depth coupled human-water interaction studies (socio-hydrology) need to be conducted to gain insights and propose solutions that could lead to sustainable irrigation system management and operation.

Design and Analysis of In-Pipe Hydro-Turbine for an Optimized Nearly Zero Energy Building.

Pakistan receives Direct Normal Irradiation (DNI) exceeding 2000 kWh/m²/annum on approximately 83% of its land, which is very suitable for photovoltaic production. This energy can be easily utilized in conjunction with other renewable energy resources to meet the energy demands and reduce the carbon footprint of the country. In this research, a hybrid renewable energy solution based on a nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) model is proposed for a university facility. The building in consideration has a continuous flow of water through its water delivery vertical pipelines. A horizontal-axis spherical helical turbine is designed in SolidWorks and is analyzed through a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis in ANSYS Fluent 18.1 based on the K-epsilon turbulent model. Results obtained from ANSYS Fluent have shown that a 24 feet vertical channel with a water flow of 0.2309 m3/s and velocity of 12.66 m/s can run the designed hydroelectric turbine, delivering 168 W of mechanical power at 250 r.p.m. Based on the turbine, a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) comprising photovoltaic and hydroelectric power is modelled and analyzed in HOMER Pro software. Among different architectures, it was found that architecture with hydroelectric and photovoltaic energy provided the best COE of $0.09418.

Tree‐Inspired Ultralong Hydroxyapatite Nanowires‐Based Multifunctional Aerogel with Vertically Aligned Channels for Continuous Flow Catalysis, Water Disinfection, and Solar Energy‐Driven Water Purification

AbstractWater pollution and freshwater shortage have deteriorated the global water crisis. Developing sustainable methods to alleviate contaminated water has become an urgent affair. Herein, inspired by water transportation and transpiration of natural trees, the authors report an ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires‐based biomimetic aerogel with vertically aligned channels and multiple functions for continuous flow catalysis, water disinfection, solar energy‐driven water purification, and seawater desalination. Ultralong hydroxyapatite nanowires act as carriers to immobilize catalyst nanoparticles and serve as building blocks to assemble with chitosan to form the biomimetic aerogel with structure‐function integration. Benefiting from the interconnected cellular structure, unidirectional aligned channels, nanowire‐interwoven networked pore wall, and evenly distributed catalyst nanoparticles, the biomimetic aerogel exhibits high catalytic activity (97.6% treatment efficiency) and permeability (1786 L m−2 h−1), excellent recyclability and stability in continuous flow catalytic degradation of methylene blue solely driven by gravity. The biomimetic aerogel exhibits excellent performance for bacteria removal and anti‐biofouling. The superior photothermal conversion and heat confinement properties enable the biomimetic aerogel with a high efficiency (86.7%) for solar energy‐driven seawater desalination and wastewater purification under one sun irradiation. The multifunctional biomimetic aerogel has promising applications in catalytic reactions, wastewater remediation, and environmental engineering.

Non-invasive measurement of oil-water two-phase flow in vertical pipe using ultrasonic Doppler sensor and gamma ray densitometer

Oil–water two-phase flow experiments were conducted in a vertical pipe to study the liquid–liquid flow measurement using a non-invasive ultrasound Doppler flow sensor and a gamma-ray densitometer. Tap water and a dyed mineral oil are used as test the fluids. A novel Doppler effect strategy is used to estimate the mixture flow velocity in a vertical pipe based on flow velocity measured by the ultrasound sensor and the shear flow velocity profile model. Drift-flux flow model was used in conjunction phase fractions to predict the superficial velocities of oil and water. The results indicate that the proposed method estimated oil-continuous flow and water-continuous flow have average relative errors of 5.2% and 4.5%; and superficial phase flow velocities of oil and of water have average relative errors of 4.5% and 5.9% respectively. These results demonstrate the potential for using ultrasonic Doppler sensor combined with gamma densitometer for oil–water measurement.

Aggregation‐induced demulsification triggered by the hydrophilic fabric for the separation of highly emulsified oil droplets from water

AbstractA functional fabric with hierarchical structure consisting of basalt fibre fabric as a substrate and polyvinyl alcohol as a coating was developed, aiming at providing a low cost and high‐performance way to separate highly emulsified oil in water. The coating functioned as a hydrophilic gate for the penetration of water in the emulsion, whereas the micro‐channels formed in the fabric offered capillary force for the continuous flow of water. The synergy of these two materials led to the increase on the oil concentration in the liquid, which in turn enhanced the collision of emulsified oil droplets to aggregate into large ones in the emulsion and resulted separation from the water. Based on these findings, an aggregation‐induced demulsification process was proposed to explain the above phenomenon, and the mechanism was confirmed by studying the distribution of oil droplets in emulsion with a controlled separation degree.