Fabrication of a set-up based on modified superhydrophobic sponges for oil/water separation

In the current work, a set-up for separating oil from water is created using modified hydrophobic sponges. The sponge roller is connected to an electric motor via a belt. With the sponge's assistance, the roller collects the oil on the water's surface as it rotates. A blade is positioned on the opposite side of the roller to squeeze the sponge, draining the absorbed oil and sending it to the separation tank. Additionally, a simple method involving the use of myristic acid and stearic acid to create a hydrophobic surface on polyethylene and elastomer sponges was presented. The water contact angle of the coated elastomer sponges was calculated to be 140 degrees based on the characterization data. The water contact angle of the polyethylene sponges, in comparison, was close to 124 degrees. The outcomes of the experiments conducted on different oils demonstrated that the modified elastomer sponges and modified polyethylene sponges had absorption capacities in the range of 1.07-1.72 g/g and 4.24-7.74 g/g, respectively. In terms of efficiency, the proposed separation system can remove 90 +/- 5 % of the oil from the water's surface and maintains this level of performance even after ten cycles of heavy use, demonstrating its remarkable performance.