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       #Post#: 1189--------------------------------------------------
       Graphene 💫✨👍👍👍🌞
       addressing the challenge of oil-water separation
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: July 18, 2023, 12:29 pm
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       Posted: Jul 18,2023 by Roni Peleg
       [center]Researchers develop rGO-based
       [glow=green,2,300]approach[/glow] to address oil-water
       separation challenges[/center]
       [move][glow=green,2,300]rGO-PU sponge [/glow]absorbed and
       collected oil from an oil-water mixture, achieving a remarkable
       recovery rate of approximately 97%
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       Researchers from Qatar University (QU), Maimoona Mohamed and
       Nada Yahya Deyab, along with their supervisor Dr. Shabi Abbas
       Zaidi, have made progress in addressing the challenge of
       oil-water separation.
       Their research focuses on developing a novel material for
       efficient oil recovery from oil-water mixtures. By modifying
       polyurethane (PU) sponges and cotton with reduced graphene oxide
       (rGO), they have achieved promising results in terms of
       hydrophobicity, oil-absorption efficacy, reusability, and
       cost-effectiveness, offering a promising solution to address the
       issue of water and soil pollution caused by oil spills.
       The 3D porous structure of polyurethane sponges has shown
       promise in oil-water separation applications; however, its poor
       hydrophobicity limits its oil-absorption efficiency. To overcome
       this limitation, the team focused on enhancing the
       hydrophobicity of the sponge by modifying it with
       [glow=green,2,300]graphene oxide (GO) [/glow]and subsequently
       reducing it to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a readily
       available [glow=green,2,300]green [/glow]reducing agent,
       L-ascorbic acid (L-AA).
       The process of synthesizing GO involved mixing 1g of graphite
       flakes with 23 ml of 98% H2SO4, followed by stirring for 24
       hours at room temperature. Subsequently, 100mg of NaNO3 was
       added, and the mixture was stirred for 30 minutes. Afterward, 3g
       of KMnO4 was gradually introduced, and the resulting mixture was
       heated and stirred for about 30 minutes.
       Further additions of water, followed by the introduction of 10
       ml of 30% H2O2, completed the synthesis process. The obtained GO
       was then centrifuged to remove any un-oxidized graphite and
       dried to obtain a powder-like substance. Individual sheets of
       synthesized GO were dispersed in distilled water for reduction
       and modification studies.
       To fabricate rGO-PU sponges, the team employed a green method
       that utilized L-ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. The PU
       sponges were initially cut into small pieces and thoroughly
       rinsed with distilled water and acetone before being dried. An
       aqueous dispersion of GO was prepared through sonication, and
       L-AA was dissolved in it. The dry PU sponges were immersed in
       this mixture and left for 48 hours with mild stirring.
       Then, the sponges were washed and dried to obtain rGO-PU
       sponges. The same protocol was applied to obtain rGO-cotton. The
       modified surfaces of both [glow=green,2,300]rGO-PU[/glow] and
       [glow=green,2,300]rGO-cotton exhibited[/glow] superior
       absorption behavior and water contact angles compared to their
       bare counterparts.
       The capabilities of the rGO-PU sponge were put to the test by
       absorbing and collecting oil from an oil-water mixture,
       reportedly achieving a remarkable recovery rate of approximately
       97%. Moreover, the rGO-PU sponge demonstrated excellent
       reusability and compressibility without any signs of cracking or
       leaking. In a comparative study, the team found that the highly
       compressible and porous nature of the rGO-PU sponge outperformed
       the rGO-cotton surfaces in various samples.
       Source: thepeninsulaqatar
       Tags: Graphene applications Graphene water treatment Graphene
       Oxide reduced graphene oxide
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