A Solar-Heated Phase Change Composite Fiber with a Core-Shell Structure for the Recovery of Highly Viscous Crude Oil

Due to the high viscosity and low fluidity of viscous crude oil, how to effectively recover spilled crude oil is still a major global challenge. Although solar thermal absorbers have made significant progress in accelerating oil recovery, its practical application is largely restricted by the variability of solar radiation intensity, which is influenced by external environmental factors. To address this issue, this study created a new composite fiber that not only possesses solar energy conversion and storage capabilities but also facilitates crude oil removal. PF@PAN@PEG was obtained by coaxial electrospinning processing, with PEG within PAN fibers, and a coating layer was applied to the fiber surface to impart oleophilicity and hydrophobicity. PF@PAN@PEG exhibited a high latent heat value (77.12 J/g), high porosity, and excellent photothermal conversion and oil storage capabilities, significantly reducing the viscosity of crude oil. PF@PAN@PEG can adsorb approximately 11.65 g/g of crude oil under sunlight irradiation. Notably, due to the encapsulation of PEG, PF@PAN@PEG can continuously maintain the crude oil at a phase change temperature by releasing latent heat under specific conditions, effectively reducing its viscosity with no PEG leakage at all. When solar light intensity varied, the crude oil collection efficiency increased by 21.99% compared to when no phase change material was added. This research offers a potential approach for the effective use of clean energy and the collection of viscous crude oil spill pollution.