pH-RESPONSIVE WOOD SLICES FOR THE CONTINUOUS SEPARATION OF LIGHT OIL/WATER/HEAVY OIL TRIPHASE MIXTURES

Light oil/water/heavy oil triphase mixtures are common in industrial wastewater, while nearly all separation materials with superwettability can only separate biphase of light oil/water or/and heavy oil/water. Here, a balsa wood slice superhydrophilic/superoleophilic property air was fabricated by blade-cutting and ethanol-treating process. Therefore, the could be dually prewetted both water thus showed underwater superoleophobic underoil superhydrophobic properties without any further chemical modification. Such superhydrophobicity nonbasic environment transition into superhydrophilicity under basic condition. Combining porous structure possessed designed to transport liquids, this treated leveraged continuous driven gravity high permeation flux efficiency. After each separation, easily recovered washing acidic solution, it recycled up 15 times loss pH responsibility. During repeated cycling exhibited excellent stability.