Green Preparation of Robust Hydrophobic β-Cyclodextrin/Chitosan Sponges for Efficient Removal of Oil from Water

Langmuir. 2021 Dec 14;37(49):14380-14389. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02299. Epub 2021 Dec 6.

Abstract

A relatively straightforward green method to fabricate robust hydrophobic sponges for effective removal of oil pollutants and other organic contaminants was developed. These sponges were constructed from bio-sources: citronellal and palmitic acid-modified aminoethyl cyclodextrin-sodium phytate-chitosan (ACCTCS). The modified sponge exhibited desirable mechanical properties and strong hydrophobicity with a water contact angle (WCA) of 147.8°. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the ACCTCS sponge had a highly porous structure that was particularly suitable for organic component absorption. The sponge exhibited excellent absorption capacities for n-hexane, trichloromethane, vacuum pump oil, and peanut oil (47.9, 32.3, 32.6, and 32.2 g/g, respectively). The removal rate of oil was more than 80% (>26.2 g/g) after 10 absorption-desorption cycles. The ACCTCS sponge also showed good oil/water and organic components/water separation performance. The bio-source materials, green preparation method, and new absorbed-oil recovery strategy provided a novel pathway to construct multifunctional absorbents for oil/water separation in industrial wastewater.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Chitosan*
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Oils
  • Porosity
  • beta-Cyclodextrins*

Substances

  • Oils
  • beta-Cyclodextrins
  • Chitosan