Continuous separation of oil from water surface by a novel tubular unit based on graphene coated polyurethane sponge

We develop a new strategy for the continuous separation of oil from water surface using a novel tubular unit based on graphene coated polyurethane (P-GEPU) sponge, and the P-GEPU sponge was fabricated by a simple dip-coating method; the as-prepared sponges could adsorb different kinds of oil and organic liquids while repelling water. Moreover, the tubular unit was assembled by wrapping the P-GEPU sponge on a porous PU hollow tube and combined with the accessories including pipes and joints. The tubular unit could float on the surface of water, and a continuous oil collection from water surface through vacuum pressure could be fulfilled, showing a high oil-water separation efficiency (>96%). Finally, oil-water separation efficiency remains above 93% after 10cycles, exhibiting excellent reusability. In addition, our findings are easily scaled up, showing a great promise for large-scale oil spill remediation.