Eco-friendly superhydrophobic MOF-doped with cellulose acetate foam for efficient oil-water separation

In recent years, scholars are interested in finding ways to enhance porous materials' performance at oil-water separation. In this study, ZIF-8-doped cellulose acetate foam (ZIF-8/CA) was prepared by the thermally induced non-solvent induced phase separation (TINIPS) method. The results demonstrated that the addition of ZIF-8 significantly enhanced the foam's microscopic pore structure and infiltration properties. It developed the foam with superhydrophobic properties, whose value of water contact angle was 153°. Meanwhile, ZIF-8/CA, as good oil-adsorbing material, could easily accomplish the selective separation of soybean oil, CCl 4 and emulsified xylene in water. It had a saturation adsorption capacity of 6.89-14.61 g/g for oils and organics such as soybean oil and n-hexane. In addition, ZIF-8/CA had good environmental adaptability and could be utilized with a peristaltic pump to separate oil-water mixtures continuously. The separation efficiency was as high as 98.7%, showing good practical application value. • Preparation method of ZIF-8/CA is simple and low-cost. • Adsorption rate of ZIF-8/CA is fast and saturated adsorption capacity is high. • ZIF-8/CA has good recycling performance and environmental adaptability. • Continuous oil-water separation efficiency of ZIF-8/CA device is up to 98.7%.