Bio-inspired anti-oil-fouling chitosan-coated mesh for oil/water separation suitable for broad pH range and hyper-saline environments

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2013 Nov 27;5(22):11971-6. doi: 10.1021/am403203q. Epub 2013 Nov 11.

Abstract

Here, we report a bio-inspired chitosan (CS)-based mesh with high separation efficiency, oil-fouling repellency, and stability in a complex liquid environment. The surface of the CS coating maintains underwater superoleophobicity and low oil adhesion (<1 μN) in pure water and hyper-saline solutions, and it can keep stable special wettability in broad pH range environments after the CS mesh is fully cross-linked with glutaraldehyde and then reduced by sodium borohydride to form a stable carbon-nitrogen single bond. The separation process is solely gravity-driven, and the mesh can separate a range of different oil/water mixtures with >99% separation efficiency in hyper-saline and broad pH range conditions. We envision that such a separation method will be useful in oil spill cleanup and industrial oily wastewater treatment in extreme environments.

MeSH terms

  • Chitosan / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Petroleum Pollution*
  • Petroleum*
  • Seawater / chemistry*
  • Wastewater / chemistry*
  • Water Purification / methods*

Substances

  • Petroleum
  • Waste Water
  • Chitosan