Superhydrophobic membrane based on biochar-bio cu composite for effective oil-water separation

Abstract

This manuscript presents the development of a superhydrophobic textile fabric (SF) for effective oil-water (O/W) separation. A biochar was synthesized by pyrolysis of banana leaves. The bio-Cu nanoparticles (bio-Cu NPs) were synthesized from grape seed extract. The biochar and bio-Cu NPs were used to enhance the surface roughness of the textile fabric. The low-cost, eco-friendly stearic acid was used as a low surface energy material. The SF achieves a water sliding angle of 1 degree and apparent contact angle of 159 degrees, indicating its superhydrophobic nature. The absorption capacity towards silicone oil (S.O), toluene (Tol.), and crude oil (C.O) is measured at 102.2 g/g, 98.5 g/g, and 91.0 g/g, respectively, with minimal decrease after ten usage cycles. The SF exhibits outstanding O/W separation efficiencies for C.O (99.6%), Tol. (98.9%), and S.O (97.5%) over ten cycles. Mechanical stability assessments reveal superhydrophobicity retention till a length of abrasion equal to 650 mm. Chemical stability investigations demonstrate SFs resilience across a pH range of 1-13 over two hours of immersion. Furthermore, the SF shows a good flux rate towards the used oils. These findings establish a promising advancement in environmental remediation and O/W separation.