Use of Nano-TiO2 self-assembled flax fiber as a new initiative for immiscible oil/water separation. (10th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liu, Yunqiu; Huang, Gordon; An, Chunjiang; Chen, Xiujuan; Zhang, Peng; Feng, Renfei; Xiong, Wenhui
• Is Part Of: Journal of cleaner production. Volume 249(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-03-10
• Subjects: Flax fiber -- Nano TiO2 self-assembly -- Factorial design -- Synchrotron-based analysis -- Immiscible oil/water separation; Factory and trade waste -- Management -- Periodicals; Manufactures -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Déchets industriels -- Gestion -- Périodiques; Usines -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; 628.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119352
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-6526

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, an environmental friendly, reusable and low-cost functionalized flax fiber was fabricated to separate immiscible oil and water. Flax fibers were modified by plasma-induced poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) polymerization followed by nano-TiO2 self-assembly. A two-level fractional factorial design was engaged to analyze the modification influencing parameters and their interactions. The modified fiber was comprehensively characterized by synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). For the first time, the concentration distribution of functional groups and TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) were explored on flax fiber surface. The TiO2 NPs were found unevenly fixed on flax fiber surface with high concentration on abundant substrate. The hydrophilicity of nano-TiO2 self-assembled flax fiber was significantly improved, with water contact angle decreasing from 97.4° to 25.9° and almost doubled maximum oil holding pressure. The modified flax fiber showed stable performance of oil/water separation in alkaline and salty conditions and could be used for multiple cycles. The modified flax fiber could be further constructed into oil barrier with special wettability to separate oil. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: A new initiative of producing nano-TiO2 self-assembled flax fiber was proposed. Factorial design was applied to investigate the modification parameters. The modification mechanism was revealed by synchrotron-based analyses. The modified flax fiber was hydrophilic with water contact angle of 25.9°. The flax fiber presented good oil/water separation performance in application.