Adsorption Mechanism of Oil by Resilient Graphene Aerogels from Oil–Water Emulsion

A facile synthesis strategy was adopted to prepare resilient graphene aerogel (GA) with properties of high emulsified oil adsorption capacities, excellent rebounding performance, oil–water selectivity, and recycling abilities. The maximum adsorption capacity of GA for emulsified diesel oil was 2.5 × 104 mg g–1. The microscopic kinetic and thermodynamic mutual reaction models of diesel oil emulsion adsorption onto GA were investigated to describe the adsorption mechanism. The emulsified diesel oil was able to be separated efficiently from the oil–water emulsion by GA because of their high oil selectivity. Interestingly, both kinetics and thermodynamic experiments show that emulsified oil adsorption on GA is a physical adsorption and spontaneous process. Besides, GA can be reused with prominent repeatability for at least 10 cycles, demonstrating feasibility in practical applications of GA-based oily water treatment.