Ultralight, Elastic, Hydrophobic Willow Moss-Derived Aerogels for Efficient Oil-Water Separation

Abstract

Aerogels with exceptional absorption capacity and remarkable selectivity, have generated significant interest in the scientific community as adsorbents. But the utilization of aerogels has been restricted due to the expensive raw materials and the complexity of the fabrication process. Efforts to create green and cost-effective absorbents are in high demand to effectively remove oil from wastewater. Herein, the fabrication of porous lightweight bio-aerogels using Willow moss and sodium alginate (SA) was considered as an effective approach. Furthermore, following the silylation treatment, the hydrophobic aerogel maintained good mechanical stability, excellent absorption capacity, and great thermal insulation performance. These aerogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties and could effectively contribute to the control of environmental pollution caused by oil and harmful organic solvents. With its low-cost and environmentally friendly preparation process, as well as its remarkable performance, this method demonstrated significant potential in the preparation of porous bio-based aerogels.

Keywords: Willow moss, Aerogels, thermal properties, Biomass, oil absorption, emulsions separation