JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, cilt.9, sa.2, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
The removal of various oils, petroleum products and organic solvents from water has a great importance for environmental protection. In this study, highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic fluoro organothiol-coated carbonized melamine sponge/rGO composite absorbent material (CMS/rGO/PFDT) material was prepared as a new absorbent for the cleanup of oil spills and selective separation of oil-water mixtures. The results of contact angle, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman measurements proved that the preparation of new absorbent material was successfully performed. CMS/ rGO/PFDT displayed excellent hydrophobicity with a high-water contact angle of 143.2 degrees. and superoleophilicity with an oil-contact angle of 0 degrees. This absorbent was unsinkable in water and could absorb the hydrophobic organic contaminants up to 55 times of its own weight. CMS/rGO/PFDT could effectively and selectively absorb the oily substances from olive oil-water and gasoline-water emulsions and achieved the continuous oil-water separation with the assistance of a vacuum pump. The developed CMS/rGO/PFDT material may be a potential absorbent in the absorptive removal of oily substances and organic solvents from oily wastewater and in the separation of oil-water mixture.