Environmentally friendly superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic sponges were synthesized using a one-step approach for oil/water separation. A superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic sponge (MFS/CC-DKGM or MFS/CC-PDMS) was synthesized by one-step coating of melamine formaldehyde sponge (MFS) with a mixture of calcium carbonate (CC) rods and deacetylized Konjac glucomannan (DKGM) [or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)]. The MFS/CC-PDMS showed excellent absorption capacity, which reached 52⁻76 g/g following immersion into various types of oil/water mixtures. Furthermore, the MFS/CC-DKGM and MFS/CC-PDMS exhibited excellent water- and oil-flux performances, which reached 4,702 L/m² h and 19,591 L/m² h, respectively, when they were used as filters. The MFS/CC-DKGM and MFS/CC-PDMS maintained their wettability characteristics relatively well after the chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability tests.
Keywords: Oil/water separation; environmental remediation; superhydrophilic; superhydrophobic.