Easily Fabricated Low-Energy Consumption Joule-Heated Superhydrophobic Foam for Fast Cleanup of Viscous Crude Oil Spills

Effective cleanup of viscous crude oil spills remains a persistent and crippling challenge. Herein, this work presents a Joule-heated super-hydrophobic flower-like Cu-8(PO3OH)(2)(PO4)(4)center dot 7H(2)O-coated copper foam (SHB-CF@CP) for rapid cleanup of viscous crude oil spills via a facile strategy. The SHB-CF@CP shows outstanding water repellency and excellent stability of hydrophobicity in harsh environments. Due to the high electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity, it requires lower power energy consumption (less than 1 V of voltage input) to raise the temperature significantly, which dramatically reduces the viscosity of crude oil (from similar to 2 x 10(5) to similar to 60 mPa s) and then increases the oil absorption rate, effectively avoiding the poor mobility and ineffective absorption of viscous crude oil. Notably, the SHB-CF@CP can achieve continuous and quick cleanup of crude oil under in situ pumping force. The high-performance Joule-heated SHB-CF@CP sorbent with a strong porous skeleton, corrosion resistance, and low predicted operational costs holds a promise of promoting its practical applications in the cleanup of intractable and large-area viscous oil spills.

Automated summary

This study presents a Joule-heated super-hydrophobic flower-like copper foam sorbent for rapid cleanup of viscous crude oil spills, showcasing outstanding water repellency and thermal conductivity. The sorbent is able to reduce the viscosity of crude oil, increase oil absorption rate, and achieve continuous and quick cleanup of crude oil under in situ pumping force.