Multifunctional biomass carbon fiber aerogel based on resource utilization of agricultural waste-peanut shells for fast and efficient oil–water/emulsion separation

In this work, the flexible, ultralight, hydrophobic and multi-functional biomass carbon (BC) aerogel was prepared, and the porous network structure provides efficient oil transmission and storage channels (the porosity of 98.39%). With the extraordinary wettability, the BC aerogel maintains stable hydrophobicity (>135°) and the maximum water contact angle is 141°. BC aerogel exhibits the great reusability of elastic material after multiple intensive compressions. Simultaneously, B-C aerogel holds a wonderful absorption capacity for various oils and organic solvents (27–50 g/g), possessing an extraordinary recyclability (94%). Furthermore, BC aerogel can also be taken as the separation filter of oil/water mixture (1561.19 L m−2 h−1, 99.13%) and used to separate emulsion with relatively stable surface activity (1039.49 L m−2 h−1, 91.93%). The research provides a green strategy for preparing hydrophobic oil-absorbing materials from low-cost materials and has the great application potential in oil–water/emulsion treatment and environmental protection.