Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF-PES nanofibrous membranes for highly efficient surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions separation

Yang, Y., Huang, E., Dansawad, P., Li, Y. , Qing, Y., Lv, C., Cao, L., You, S. , Li, Y. and Li, W. (2023) Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF-PES nanofibrous membranes for highly efficient surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions separation. Journal of Membrane Science, 687, 122044. (doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122044)

Abstract

Deep oil-water emulsions separation is a challenging task for oily wastewater treatment. Herein, a superwettable nanofibrous membrane was fabricated using the integrated method of electrospinning, microwave-assisted growth, and in-situ polymerization. The membrane possessed superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity due to the presence of hierarchical rough structures and hydrophilic particles and polymers. The nanofibrous membrane exhibited robust oil-water separation performances for surfactant-free oil-in-water emulsions and different types of surfactant-stabilized emulsions (e.g., SDBS, CTAB and Tween 80) solely under the effect of gravity. The membrane achieved a separation efficiency of >99.94% for surfactant-free oil-in-water emulsions with a flux of 3563.0 L m−2 h−1. The efficiency was above 98.90% with a flux of 1112.5 L m−2 h−1 for SDBS-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion solely under the effect of gravity. The membrane exhibited long-term oil-water separation efficiencies of above 97.0%. Moreover, the membrane showed remarkable stability and can maintain underwater superoleophobicity under different harsh conditions, which is key for large-scale oily wastewater treatment applications.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21978307, 22078347), Distinguished Professor of Henan Province (220508001), Key Research and Development Program of Hebei Province, China (21373303D), Science and Technology Support Project of Guizhou Province ([2019]2839, [2021]472) for the financial support. Siming You acknowledges the Royal Society International Exchange Scheme (EC\NSFC\211175).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Li, Yize and You, Dr Siming
• Authors: Yang, Y., Huang, E., Dansawad, P., Li, Y., Qing, Y., Lv, C., Cao, L., You, S., Li, Y., and Li, W.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• Journal Name: Journal of Membrane Science
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0376-7388
• ISSN (Online): 1873-3123
• Published Online: 06 September 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V.
• First Published: First published in Journal of Membrane Science 687: 122044
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy