Environmental Applications of Advanced Superwetting Membranes for Oil-Water Separation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/pjvc5v23Keywords:
Surface wettability, Oil, water emulsion, Emulsion problems, Membrane separationAbstract
The prevalence of oil pollution is steadily escalating due to the growing reliance on oil in human daily routines and industrial operations, with global consumption exceeding 100 million barrels per day. Membrane-based separation of oil-water emulsions has demonstrated critical performance characteristics essential for industrial applications, including affordability, environmental sustainability, simplicity of operation, and energy efficiency. The membranes show remarkable durability, maintaining over 98.5% separation effectiveness after 40 repeated operations. Investigating Membranes with distinctive super-wettability properties for filtration and various practical uses has become a highly compelling area of research in recent years. These super-wetting membranes are not just limited to Oil-water filtration but have a wide range of potential applications, making them a versatile solution to many environmental challenges. This review synthesizes recent advancements in membrane technology, highlighting key innovations and emerging trends, focusing on its exceptional super-wettability qualities and enhanced characteristics for separating oil and water. In addition, this article focuses on the wetting behavior of these versatile membranes and summarizes various surface-wetting categories, including superhydrophilic (θ < 10°), underwater superoleophobic (θoil > 150°), and superhydrophobic-superoleophilic (θwater > 150°, θoil < 10°) membranes. It also analyses the possible difficulties and barriers associated with these membranes. This research summarizes the advancements in creating versatile super-wetting membranes for separating oil and water. It ends by proposing prospective areas for additional enhancement and alteration, instilling a sense of intrigue about the potential applications of these membranes.
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