Ultralight and superhydrophobic perfluorooctyltrimethoxysilane modified biomass carbonaceous aerogel for oil-spill remediation

The removal of oil spills or organic contaminants from water surface is of great importance for environmental protection. A major challenge is the fast placement and collection of the absorbent materials with high separation selectivity, good stability, and excellent recyclability. In this work, we report a novel environmentally friendly, cost-effective, easy production, fast collection and good recyclability, superhydrophobic adsorbent (PPCA@PFTS), which was obtained via the modification of pomelo peel biomass carbonaceous aerogel (PPCA) with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl-trimethoxysilane (PFTS). Scanning electron microscopy image shows that PPCA@PFTS possesses a 3D cross-staggered structure with large diameter tunnels as well as numerous mesopores, which provide a possibility for its oil absorption characteristics. The maximum sorption capacities of PPCA@PFTS for soybean oil were about 5.8 g/g. PPCA@PFTS shows good durability with maintained effectiveness up to 30 regeneration cycles tested. Moreover, the adsorbed oil can be collected quickly. Therefore, we believe that a careful design of the pomelo peel biomass carbonaceous aerogel might further improve the oil absorption properties of this kind of materials. Importantly, our results suggest a facile and efficient material that might have practical applications in the cleanup of oil spills and the removal of organic pollutants on water surface.