Separation and Purification Technology | 2021
MnOx-mineralized oxidized-polypropylene membranes for highly efficient oil/water separation
Abstract
Abstract With the development of industrial society, offshore oil spills occur frequently, and more and more attention has been paid to the efficient oil/water separation materials. Herein, a novel nano-MnOx particles mineralized oxidized-polypropylene (MnOx-OPP) membrane was fabricated through a simple one-step immersion process. Polypropylene (PP) melt-blown nonwoven was oxidized by acid potassium permanganate solution; meanwhile, resulting nano-MnOx particles were deposited on the fiber surface to obtain the special micro-nano structure, which greatly enhanced the PP membrane s hydrophilicity. The as-prepared membranes exhibit superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity with high separation efficiencies of over 99% for oil/water mixtures prepared by various types of mineral oil and vegetable oil, and the permeation flux is up to 61,177 L m-2h−1. After 30 separation cycles, no significant separation efficiency loss was observed, indicating excellent separation stability. In addition, the MnOx-OPP membranes possess superior corrosion resistance and long effectiveness, which have broad application prospects in practical oily wastewater.