Hydrophobic and oleophilic carbon nanofiber impregnated styrofoam for oil and water separation: A green technology

Here, carbon nanofiber incorporated styrofoam (CNF/SF) material with superhydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics was synthesized for the efficient separation of oil and water. The styrofoam was treated with acetone to attain temporary soft SF which demonstrated a strong capability to spontaneously interact with various ratios of CNF. The interaction and rapid incorporation of CNF with the SF drastically improved the hydrophobicity of the surface by providing numerous micro and macroporous 3D cavities. These porous cavities were absent in the SF and were generated due to the introduction of the CNF. The porous cavity generation can be explained by the growth of the polystyrene on the CNF which was evident from the SEM images. The synthesized material was characterized by SEM, FTIR and the BET. The CNF interaction with SF improved the contact angle (CA) approximately from 74.29 ± 0.18° (SF) to 154.39 ± 2.35° (CNF/SF) and the surface area from 14 to 139 m2/g. The CNF/SF1:5 were successfully applied for the complete separation of the hexane from the water. The conversion of styrofoam into useful products shows potential to reduce waste in useful products and is an efficient way to cope with chemical pollution. The preparation process is simple, environmentally friendly and undoubtedly cost-effective. It has proven to be a good material for the separation of oil and water.