High-efficiency oil/water absorbent using hydrophobic silane-modified plant fiber sponges

Abstract Increasing environmental problems caused by the emission of crude oil, petroleum products, and toxic organic solvents have threatened ecosystems and human health. Renewable and eco-friendly natural materials are considered as the most promising absorbents for removing oils and organic solvents from water. In this work, a hydrophobic plant fiber sponge (PFS) is successfully prepared via a simple vapor treatment strategy with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) (defined as PFS@HMDS). The as-prepared PFS@HMDS with high porosity, high mechanical durability, and excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 145° exhibits high oil absorptive capacity (15–40 g/g) and selectivity. It also shows the excellent structural stability, durability, and high reusability in the repeated absorption/desorption cyclic testing. More importantly, it can achieve continuous oil/water separation with the assistance of a miniature diaphragm pump. Owing to these favorable advantages, the PFS@HMDS demonstrates its potential application in oil/water separation and organic solvents removal.