Abstract
Efficient extraction of crude oil, the major energy resource of current concern and high demand worldwide, is of paramount importance in both energy and environmental fields. However, it remains a great challenge to separate the crude oil-in-water emulsions with an ultralow oil content of <200ppm. Here, the three-dimensional and superwetting channels are developed by coating titanium foams with anodic TiO2 nanotube arrays. The channels render superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic feature, which enables rapid formation of water channels that expel the oil droplets. A high separation efficiency of ∼96.8% and low total organic carbon content of ∼6 ppm are thus achieved for the ultralow-concentration crude oil-in-water emulsions. The pressure and time dependence of the separation process is systematically studied with a critical pressure of 12.25 kPa. Such a high performance is close to the theoretical limit imposed by the ultralow concentration, and shows obvious advances over either organic membranes or inorganic frameworks.
摘要
原油作为全球关注热点和需求巨大的主要能源, 其高效提取在能源与环境领域至关重要. 然而, 针对超低含油量(<200 ppm)原油乳液的分离, 仍然存在巨大挑战. 本文利用多孔钛表面原位生长的TiO2纳米管阵列涂层, 制备了三维超浸润微通道. 该通道展现了超亲水且水下超疏油的特征, 能够快速形成水膜通道而排斥油滴. 据此, 实现了对超低浓度水包原油乳液的高效分离, 分离效率高达96.8%, 滤液中的总有机碳含量仅约6 ppm. 本文系统研究了分离过程中的压力与时间影响因素, 结果显示最佳临界分离压力为12.25 kPa. 该分离性能接近于超低浓度原油乳液的分离理论极限. 与有机膜或无机框架分离材料相比, 该三维超浸润微通道呈现出显著优势.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51871037), Chongqing Youth Talents Program (CQYC201905023), and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2020YFF0421893).
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Contributions
Sun L conceived the idea, supervised the project, and revised the manuscript. Jin J carried out the experiments and drafted the manuscript. Su J, Xiang C, Li H, and Zhao K assisted in device preparation and testing. Xu B provided valuable discussion and suggestion on the project. All of the authors analyzed the experimental results and contributed to the final manuscript.
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Additional information
Jian Jin received his BE degree in metallurgical engineering from Jiangsu University in 2015. He is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Lidong Sun at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University. His research interest includes superwetting microchannels and oil/water separation.
Lidong Sun received his PhD degree from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2012. He worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the National University of Singapore from 2011 to 2014, and thereafter joined Chongqing University. He is currently a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University. His research interest includes electrochemistry and materials science at the nanoscale, with a particular focus on functional coatings for tubes/microchannels.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Efficient demulsification of ultralow-concentration crude oil-in-water emulsion by three-dimensional superhydrophilic channels
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Jin, J., Su, J., Xiang, C. et al. Efficient demulsification of ultralow-concentration crude oil-in-water emulsion by three-dimensional superhydrophilic channels. Sci. China Mater. 65, 213–219 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1731-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-021-1731-4