Chen Tianxin, Wang Yue, Li Jing, Zhao Liang, Zhang Xingyang, He Jian
Research Institute of Safety, Environmental Protection and Technical Supervision of Petro China Southwest Oil and Gas Field Company, Chengdu 610095, China.
School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2025 Mar 16;15(6):450. doi: 10.3390/nano15060450.
Oil-water separation is an important method for treating oily wastewater and recovering oil resources. Based on the different affinities of superhydrophobic surfaces to water and oil, long-term oil-water separation devices with low-energy and high efficiency can be developed through the optimization of structure and process parameters. Superhydrophobic coatings were prepared on stainless-steel mesh surfaces using a spray method to construct single-channel oil-water separation equipment with superhydrophobic/oleophilic meshes, and the effects of structural and process parameters on separation efficiency were systematically investigated. Additionally, a multi-channel oil-water separation device was designed and fabricated to evaluate the feasibility and stability of long-term continuous operations. The optimized single V-shaped channel should be horizontally placed and made from 150-mesh stainless-steel mesh folded at an angle of 38.9°. For the oil-water mixtures containing 20 wt.% oil, the oil-water separation efficiencies for single and two-stage separation were 92.79% and 98.96%, respectively. After 36 h of continuous operation, the multi-channel separation device achieved single-stage and two-stage separation efficiencies of 94.60% and 98.76%, respectively. The maximum processing capacity of the multi-channel device reached 168 L/h. The modified stainless mesh can remain stable with a contact angle (CA) higher than 150° to water for 34 days. The average residence time and contact area during the oil-water separation process significantly affect separation efficiency. By optimizing oil-water separation structures and process parameters, and using a superhydrophobic spray modification method, separation efficiency can be improved while avoiding the generation of secondary pollutants.
油水分离是处理含油废水和回收石油资源的重要方法。基于超疏水表面对水和油的不同亲和力，通过优化结构和工艺参数，可以开发出低能耗、高效率的长期油水分离装置。采用喷涂法在不锈钢网表面制备超疏水涂层，构建具有超疏水/亲油网孔的单通道油水分离设备，并系统研究了结构和工艺参数对分离效率的影响。此外，设计并制造了一种多通道油水分离装置，以评估长期连续运行的可行性和稳定性。优化后的单V形通道应水平放置，由150目不锈钢网以38.9°角折叠制成。对于含20 wt.%油的油水混合物，单级和两级分离的油水分离效率分别为92.79%和98.96%。连续运行36小时后，多通道分离装置的单级和两级分离效率分别达到94.60%和98.76%。多通道装置的最大处理能力达到168 L/h。改性不锈钢网与水的接触角（CA）高于150°时可保持稳定34天。油水分离过程中的平均停留时间和接触面积对分离效率有显著影响。通过优化油水分离结构和工艺参数，并采用超疏水喷涂改性方法，可以提高分离效率，同时避免产生二次污染物。
