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Zirconium ion modified melamine sponge for oil and organic solvent cleanup
Xiong-Fei Zhang1, Lian Song1, Xinxin Chen1
1College of Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Jiangsu Key Lab for the Chemistry & Utilization of Agricultural and Forest Biomass, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Abstract:
Hydrophilic melamine sponge is transferred into hydrophobic melamine sponge by immersing the commercial melamine sponge cubes into zirconium oxychloride aqueous solution and followed by a simple dry process. The hydrophobicity transformation is assigned to the complex bonds constructed by the Zr4+ ions and N atoms, thus reducing the surface polarity. The modified melamine sponge presents excellent absorption capacities toward various oils and organic solvents (70-181 g/g). Its contact angle with water can reach 130° or more, and displays good oil-water selectivity for both heavy oil and light oil. Besides, the sponge has stable chemical properties and good recyclability. This work presents a facile and low-cost method for fabrication of hydrophobic materials that might be used for the cleanup of oil spills.
