In Situ Oil Separation and Collection from Water under Surface Wave Condition

Removal of oil from water is strongly desired due to environmental pollution, and related studies are mainly limited to the material itself. Here, we propose an oil–water separation device, called a floating well, which includes a container for oil collection and a modified mesh screen for oil separation. The mesh screen is superhydrophilic to oil and superhydrophobic to water. The oil removal experiment was performed in a basin. Under the calm surface condition, the oil collection efficiency is shown to be 42–69%. The inadequate oil collection is explained by the breakdown of a thin oil film above water to form an oil-free area, preventing direct contact between the separator and the oil. Sustained by a wave generator, we are surprised to find that with a low-frequency surface wave, the oil collection efficiency is increased to 98%, and the collection speed reaches 2.5 times that under the calm surface condition. The almost complete collection is due to the sustained contact between the separator and the oil, under which the surface wave continuously drives the oil film toward the separator from elsewhere, thus the oil-free area cannot be formed. Our work presents a new clue for large-scale in situ applications, in which the nature wave energy of river/sea can be the driving force for continuous oil separation and collection.