The increasing frequency of oil spills and the continuous discharge of oily wastewater from industries such as food processing, textiles, and petrochemicals pose a significant environmental challenge worldwide. Effective separation of oil from water is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and ensuring human health. Traditional methods like coagulation, flotation, absorption, and centrifugation often exhibit low efficiency and are not sustainable in long-term applications. To address these limitations, advanced membrane technologies have emerged as promising solutions, particularly super-wetting membranes that offer high separation efficiency and excellent antifouling properties.
Among these, underwater superoleophobic (USO) membranes have gained attention due to their ability to repel oils while allowing water to pass through under water conditions. This unique property enables efficient oil/water separation even under low pressure. In this study, we developed a novel bacterial cellulose (BC)-based superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic (SUS) membrane using a simple and scalable fabrication method. The membrane was prepared by blending BC nanofibers with silica microparticles (SiO₂-MPs), followed by surface modification with bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA). This one-pot approach leverages the natural hydrophilicity of BC, the pore-generating capability of SiO₂-MPs, and the strong adhesion and hydrophilicity of PDA coatings.
The resulting composite membrane demonstrated exceptional performance in both oil/water mixture and oil-in-water emulsion separation. With a small negative pressure of 0.3–0.5 bar, the membrane achieved a separation efficiency exceeding 99.9% and a water flux rate of approximately 10,660 Lm⁻²h⁻¹. When applied to oil-in-water emulsions under ultra-low pressure (<0.1 bar), the membrane maintained high flux (~1250 Lm⁻²h⁻¹) and exhibited an oil rejection rate of up to 98.2%. These results highlight its potential for real-world applications where energy efficiency and high throughput are critical. Microscopic and spectroscopic analyses confirmed the successful integration of SiO₂-MPs into the BC matrix and the uniform coating of PDA on the surface.4E-BP1 Antibody manufacturer The presence of micro- and mesopores created by SiO₂-MPs significantly enhanced water permeability without compromising mechanical stability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) data verified the chemical composition and functional groups involved in wetting behavior. Furthermore, the membrane displayed remarkable antifouling characteristics: oils readily slid off the surface, and no irreversible fouling was observed even after repeated use.
The recyclability of the membrane was evaluated over 20 cycles, showing consistent flux and separation efficiency with minimal degradation.S100A6 Antibody Protocol The membrane also remained stable in harsh environments, including extreme pH conditions (pH 1–12) and saline solutions (0.PMID:35134837 1 M NaCl), indicating robustness for industrial applications. Long-term water soaking tests over two months further confirmed its durability and sustained performance.
In conclusion, this work presents a highly efficient, eco-friendly, and durable BC/SiO₂@PDA membrane tailored for oil/water separation. Its facile synthesis, excellent separation capabilities, and resilience make it a promising candidate for treating complex oily wastewater streams. This innovation contributes to sustainable water purification technologies and offers a viable pathway toward greener industrial processes.MedChemExpress (MCE) offers a wide range of high-quality research chemicals and biochemicals (novel life-science reagents, reference compounds and natural compounds) for scientific use. We have professionally experienced and friendly staff to meet your needs. We are a competent and trustworthy partner for your research and scientific projects.Related websites: https://www.medchemexpress.com
