Functional flax fiber with UV-induced switchable wettability for multipurpose oil-water separation

● A PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber with UV-induced switchable wettability was developed. ● The property of flax fiber could be switched from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity. ● The mechanism of the acquired UV-induced switchable wettability was discussed. ● The developed flax fiber was successfully used for multipurpose oil-water separation. The large number of oily wastewater discharges and oil spills are bringing about severe threats to environment and human health. Corresponding to this challenge, a functional PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber with UV-induced switchable wettability was developed for efficient oil-water separation in this study. The developed flax fiber was obtained through PAA grafted polymerization and then ZnO-HDTMS nanocomposite immobilization. The as-prepared PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber was hydrophobic initially and could be switched to hydrophilic through UV irradiation. Its hydrophobicity could be easily recovered through being stored in dark environment for several days. To optimize the performance of the PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber, the effects of ZnO and HDTMS concentrations on its switchable wettability were investigated. The optimized PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber had a large water contact angle (~130°) in air and an extremely small oil contact angle (~0°) underwater initially. After UV treatment, the water contact angle was decreased to 30°, while the underwater oil contact angle was increased to more than 150°. Based on this UV-induced switchable wettability, the developed PAA-ZnO-HDTMS flax fiber was applied to remove oil from immiscible oil-water mixtures and oil-in-water emulsion with great reusability for multiple cycles. Thus, the developed flax fiber could be further fabricated into oil barrier or oil sorbent for oil-water separation, which could be an environmentally-friendly alternative in oil spill response and oily wastewater treatment.     

浮油自动回收设备两例

油和水物理性能的差异是设计浮油回收设备的基础。依据两者导电率差异研制出全自动浮油回收机,适用于粘度较低的浮油回收。利用两者粘度的不同,生产出收油效率较高的盘片式自动浮油回收设备,特别适合于粘度较高的浮油回收。     

Destructing surfactant network in nanoemulsions by positively charged magnetic nanorods to enhance oil-water separation

The separation of ultrafine oil droplets from wasted nanoemulsions stabilized with high concentration of surfactants is precondition for oil reuse and the safe discharge of effluent. However, the double barriers of the interfacial film and network structures formed by surfactants in nanoemulsions significantly impede the oil-water separation. To destroy these surfactant protective layers, we proposed a newly-developed polyethyleneimine micelle template approach to achieve simultaneous surface charge manipulation and morphology transformation of magnetic nanospheres to magnetic nanorods. The results revealed that positively charged magnetic nanospheres exhibited limited separation performance of nanoemulsions, with a maximum chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 50%, whereas magnetic nanorods achieved more than 95% COD removal in less than 30 s. The magnetic nanorods were also applicable to wasted nanoemulsions from different sources and exhibited excellent resistance to wide pH changes. Owing to their unique one-dimensional structure, the interfacial dispersion of magnetic nanorods was significantly promoted, leading to the efficient capture of surfactants and widespread destruction of both the interfacial film and network structure, which facilitated droplet merging into the oil phase. The easy-to-prepare and easy-to-tune strategy in this study paves a feasible avenue to simultaneously tailor surface charge and morphology of magnetic nanoparticles, and reveals the huge potential of morphology manipulation for producing high-performance nanomaterials to be applied in complex interfacial interaction process. We believe that the newly-developed magnetic-nanorods significantly contribute to hazardous oily waste remediation and advances technology evolution toward problematic oil-pollution control.     

Bioinspired cellulose-based membranes in oily wastewater treatment

• Cellulose-based membrane separates oily wastewater mimicking the living things. • The three central surface mechanisms were reviewed. • Preparation, performance, and mechanism are critically evaluated. • First review of wettability based cellulose membrane as major material. • The current and future importance of the research are discussed. It is challenging to purify oily wastewater, which affects water-energy-food production. One promising method is membrane-based separation. This paper reviews the current research trend of applying cellulose as a membrane material that mimics one of three typical biostructures: superhydrophobic, underwater superoleophobic, and Janus surfaces. Nature has provided efficient and effective structures through the evolutionary process. This has inspired many researchers to create technologies that mimic nature’s structures or the fabrication process. Lotus leaves, fish scales, and Namib beetles are three representative structures with distinct functional and surface properties: superhydrophobic, underwater superoleophobic, and Janus surfaces. The characteristics of these structures have been widely studied and applied to membrane materials to improve their performance. One attractive membrane material is cellulose, which has been studied from the perspective of its biodegradability and sustainability. In this review, the principles, mechanisms, fabrication processes, and membrane performances are summarized and compared. The theory of wettability is also described to build a comprehensive understanding of the concept. Finally, future outlook is discussed to challenge the gap between laboratory and industrial applications.     

新型油水分离器在油田污水处理中的应用实验

叙述了一种新型油水分离器－－奥地利费雷公司的波纹板式重力加速聚集型油水分离器的工作原理，及其在国内几个油田的中试试验情况，试验结果表明，该油水分离器处理效果相当明显，除油率平均达94.59%，具有相当的经济、社会和环境效益。     

处理含油污水的水力旋流器

介绍了水力旋流器的基本结构、工作原理、影响水力旋流器分离性能的因素及应用研究进展。     

湿式除尘器在小水泥厂非水硬性粉尘除尘中的应用

本文阐述了小水泥厂非水硬性粉尘采用湿式除尘器的可行性分析，指出在效率、阻力、泥浆处理，腐蚀解决等方面，均能满足要求，并举出国内近年成功实例四则。     

Hydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic graphene oxide membrane intercalated by TiO2 nanotubes for oil/water separation

GO/TiO₂ membrane was prepared by assembling GO nanosheets and TiO₂ nanotubes. The intercalation of TiO₂ nanotubes enlarged the space of GO interlayers and modified the surface morphology. Hydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic property of GO/TiO₂ membrane was obtained. Water permeability, hydrophilicity, oleophobicity and antifouling ability of GO-based membrane were all enhanced by intercalating TiO₂ nontubes. Membrane technology for oil/water separation has received increasing attention in recent years. In this study, the hydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic membrane with enhanced water permeability and antifouling ability were fabricated by synergistically assembling graphene oxide(GO) nanosheets and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanotubes for oil/water separation. GO/TiO₂ membrane exhibits hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties with water contact angle of 62° and under water oil contact angle of 162.8°. GO/TiO₂ membrane shows greater water permeability with the water flux up to 531 L/(m²·h·bar), which was more than 5 times that of the pristine GO membrane. Moreover, GO/TiO₂membrane had excellent oil/water separation efficiency and anti-oil-fouling capability, as oil residual in filtrate after separation was below 5 mg/L and flux recovery ratios were over 80%.The results indicate that the intercalation of TiO₂ nanotubes into adjacent GO nanosheets enlarged the channel structure and modified surface topography of the obtained GO/TiO₂ membranes, which improved the hydrophilicity, permeability and anti-oil-fouling ability of the membranes, enlightening the great prospects of GO/TiO₂ membrane in oil-water treatment.     

"罐中罐"技术在炼油废水处理中的工业应用

介绍了具有复合功能的水力旋液型均质、除油、沉淀、调节罐(WS-Ⅱ型、简称“罐中罐”)技术和设备的开发和工业应用的情况,通过生产实践和现场标定,显现了该设备具有较高的除油能力和缓冲调节能力。其可靠的收油、排泥设施使得运行稳定。基本上解决了现存污水调节罐的问题。设计思想独特新颖,操作简便可靠,值得推广和应用。     

HL型旋流器的工业试验研究

论述了HL型旋流器的工业试验过程。采用HL型旋流器进行工业试验，尽管测试效果与实验室测试效果相比有很大差距，但它能取代石化行业目前采用的“一隔二浮”流程中的大部分装置，具有良好的工业使用价值。