Juncus Pith: A Versatile Material for Automatic and Continuous Separation of Various Oil–Water Mixtures

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• 作者：Fatang Liu ; Rui Lu ; Qinmin Pan
• 刊名：ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January 3, 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：5
• 期：1
• 页码：922-928
• 全文大小：493K
• ISSN：2168-0485

文摘

It is extremely important to develop a facile and versatile strategy for effectively separating various oil–water mixtures. Here we report that the pith of juncus (which is also known as common rushes) can serve as a versatile material for oil–water separation. Under the action of capillary force and gravity, a piece of pith automatically and continuously separates not only immiscible oil–water mixtures but also surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions with high selectivity and desirable flux. The separation strategy is cost-effective and energy-efficient because it avoids the switch of wettability, the input of additional energy, and the use of low-surface-energy chemicals or special equipment. The unique capability of the pith is mainly attributed to the presence of three-dimensionally (3D) reticular texture with highly hydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. Owing to its easy availability and high effectiveness, juncus might be a promising material aiming for oil–water separation, water treatment, and purification of solvent or fuel, and so on.