Preparation of Superhydrophobic Magnetic Cellulose Sponge for Removing Oil from Water

Abstract

It is still a challenging global task for oil/water separation. Here we fabricate superhydrophobic magnetic cellulose sponge (SMCE) that can be used to separate free oil/water mixtures and surfactant-stabilized W/O emulsions. The simple modification includes only two steps: a thin layer of ferroferric oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) was coated on cellulose sponge surface via codeposition method, and subsequently magnetic cellulose sponge was modified with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, which could react with Fe 3 O 4 or hydroxyl groups of cellulose. The purpose of coating Fe 3 O 4 is to increase the roughness of the surface and recycle the sample by magnetic force. SMCE could separate oil–water mixtures with a high separation efficiency and good reusability. The sample is green, low cost, and environmental friendly, which makes it a promising candidate to be used in oil–water separation.