Efficient oil/water separation using a superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge fabricated by a facile dip-coating method

Due to the numerous incidents of oil spills and the increase in the production of industrial effluents containing oil, the separation of oil and water has become an important global issue. This research used a simple dip-coating method to fabricate a superhydrophobic polyurethane sponge using SiO2 nanoparticles and vinyl trimethoxy silane. XRD, FESEM, EDX, elemental mapping, FT-IR, DLS, and measurement of mechanical resistance, and water contact angle were used to characterise the desired sponge. The modified polyurethane sponge exhibited a water contact angle of 151.32 ± 1.06°. The sorption capacity of the desired sponge measured for various types of oily pollutants and organic solvents were in the range of 30.50 ± 2.04to 66.80 ± 1.64 g.g−1. The separation efficiency of the polyurethane sponge was in the range of 97.14 ± 0.40 to 99.15 ± 0.30. Furthermore, the ability of the desired sponge to separate the oil in the real effluent of the casting unit of a steel production company was investigated. Also, the reusability and the ability of removing emulsified oil droplets of the modified polyurethane sponge were studied. As a result, the as prepared polyurethane sponge can be considered a sorbent with the potential to separate oily pollutants from water and treat oily industrial wastewater.