Solar-assisted self-heating Ti3C2Tx-decorated wood aerogel for adsorption and recovery of highly viscous crude oil

Frequent oil-spill accidents have posed serious threats to ecosystem balance and the efficiency of resources use. Hydrophobic adsorbents that can adsorb and recover oil without causing secondary pollution are ideal candidates for the remediation of oil contamination in water. However, these composites are inefficient for crude oilspills cleanup because crude oil has low liquidity of at room temperature. Increasing the temperature can effectively enhance the flowability of crude oil. To achieve efficient crude-oil heating and removal in situ, wood aerogels were immersed in Ti3C2Tx suspensions and then coated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to obtain a solar-heated adsorbent (PT-WA). The prepared PT-WA exhibits super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle: 154 degrees +/- 2 degrees), mechanical robustness (withstanding 20 loading-unloading cycles under 50% strain without structural damage), strong solar absorption, and favorable photothermal-conversion capability (rising to ~85 degrees C within 90 s under 1.5 sun). Owing to these advantages, PT-WA is an effective adsorbent for crude oil cleanup. In addition, a 'self-heating crude oil collector' was assembled for the fast adsorption and restoration of crude oil from the water surface. This solar-assisted self-heating sorbent offers a competitive platform for the cleanup and recycling of viscous crude oil spills.

Automated summary

Frequent oil-spill accidents have seriously threatened ecosystem balance and resource utilization efficiency. Hydrophobic adsorbents are ideal for oil contamination remediation in water. However, their efficiency for crude oil spills cleanup is low due to the low liquidity of crude oil at room temperature. A newly prepared solar-heated adsorbent exhibits super-hydrophobicity, mechanical robustness, and favorable photothermal-conversion capability, making it an effective adsorbent for crude oil cleanup. Additionally, a self-heating crude oil collector offers a competitive platform for the cleanup and recycling of viscous crude oil spills.