Application of electrospun fibers for oil/water separation

Increasing oily wastewater discharge and oil spills have rendered oil/water separation a global environmental issue. Electrospun nanofibers are considered a promising membrane material for oil/water separation due to very fine diameters, large surface area, high porosity, and tunable surface wettability. Various electrospun nanofiber materials with special surface wettability have been developed to treat oil/water mixtures. This chapter presents the principle and critical parameters of electrospinning process and reviews the recent progress in the fabrication of nanofiber membrane, surface modification, and their oil/water separation performances. The current challenges and promising prospects of electrospun nanofiber membranes are also proposed for their application in oil/water separation.