Synergistic strategy of biodelignification and hole design modification on wood for ultrafast emulsion separation

Efficient separation of emulsified oil-water mixtures remains a severe challenge due to the small droplet size and strong interfacial stability of emulsions. In this study, a radial wood-based multifunctional material integrating oil-water separation and photocatalytic degradation toward organic dyes, was developed through a synergistic biodelignification and hole design strategy. The resulting material exhibits a hierarchical pore structure spanning from the nano- to millimeter-scale, which enhances permeability and facilitates fluid transport. Under a pressure of 0.45 bar, using a surfactant-stabilized water-in-toluene emulsion (prepared with Span 80, 1 mg/mL, oil-to-water volume ratio of 99:1), the modified wood achieves a high permeation flux of 15,495 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1 with high separation efficiency. Compared with previously reported wood-based oil-water separation materials, the present material shows significantly higher permeation flux while maintaining high separation efficiency, demonstrating a clear performance advantage among wood-derived systems. In addition, the material demonstrates photocatalytic activity toward organic dyes, achieving degradation efficiencies of 94.64%, 95.60%, and 93.36% for methylene blue, malachite green, and crystal violet (initial concentration: 6 mg/L) within 9 h under light irradiation. This work provides a sustainable, low-cost, and high-performance strategy for developing next-generation bio-based environment remediation materials.