A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic chitosan/nanofibrillated cellulose aerogel for highly efficient oil/water separation

Hui Zhang; Yuqi Li; Ronghui Shi; Lihui Chen; Mizi Fan

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.07.071

A robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic chitosan/nanofibrillated cellulose aerogel for highly efficient oil/water separation

Carbohydr Polym. 2018 Nov 15:200:611-615. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.07.071. Epub 2018 Jul 25.

Authors

Hui Zhang¹, Yuqi Li², Ronghui Shi³, Lihui Chen⁴, Mizi Fan⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
² College of Ecological Environment and Urban Construction, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou 350108, China. Electronic address: Li@fjut.edu.cn.
³ College of Ecological Environment and Urban Construction, Fujian University of Technology, Fuzhou 350108, China.
⁴ College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: fafuclh@163.com.
⁵ College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University, UB8 3PH, UK.

PMID: 30177206
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.07.071

Abstract

Marine pollution caused by frequent oil spill accidents has already produced catastrophic influence on marine ecological environments. Even though traditional superhydrophobic/superoleophilic surface-coated materials have demonstrated to be effective for oil/water separation, they still suffer from complicated fabrication procedures, mechanical damages and loss of their superoleophobicity in high-salinity environments. Herein, a robust salt-tolerant superoleophobic aerogel was introduced for highly efficient oil/seawater separation, which was fabricated by incorporating nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) into chitosan (CS) matrix through freeze-drying method. The NFC-reinforced 3D interconnected network structure guaranteed the mechanical performance of the CS/NFC aerogel. Together the inherent hydrophilicity of chitosan with the rough microstructure of the aerogel, excellent underwater superoleophobicity was developed. Notably, the CS/NFC aerogel still maintained its underwater superoleophobicity even after being soaked in high-salinity seawater for 30 days. Moreover, the as-prepared aerogel was able to achieve various kinds of oil/seawater mixtures separation with high efficiency (>99%) and outstanding recyclability (at least 40 separation cycles). These excellent properties combined with its facile fabrication process make it a promising candidate for oil/water separation in marine environments.

Keywords: Aerogel; Chitosan; Oil/water separation; Salt-tolerance; Underwater superoleophobicity.