Eco-friendly bacterial cellulose/MXene aerogel with excellent photothermal and electrothermal conversion capabilities for efficient separation of crude oil/seawater mixture

Developing novel absorbent materials targeting high-efficiency, low-energy-consumption, and environmental-friendly oil spill cleanup is still a global issue. Porous absorbents endowed with self-heating function are an attractive option because of that they are able to in-situ heat crude oil and dramatically reduce oil viscosity for efficient remediation. Herein, we facilely prepared an eco-friendly multifunctional bacterial cellulose/MXene aerogel (P-SBC/MXene aerogel) for rapid oil recovery. Thanks to excellent full solar spectrum absorption (average absorbance = 96.6 %), efficient photo-thermal conversion, and superior electrical conductivity (electrical resistance = 36 Ω), P-SBC/MXene aerogel exhibited outstanding photothermal and electrothermal capabilities. Its surface temperature could quickly reach 93 °C under 1.0 kW/m2 solar irradiation and 124 °C under 3.0 V voltage respectively, enabling effective heat transfer toward spilled oil. The produced heat significantly decreased crude oil viscosity, allowing P-SBC/MXene aerogel to rapidly absorb oil. By combining solar heating and Joule heating, P-SBC/MXene aerogel connected to a pump-assisted absorption device was capable of achieving all-weather crude oil removal from seawater (crude oil flux = 630 kg m−2 h−1). More notably, P-SBC/MXene aerogel showed splendid outdoor crude oil separation performance. Based on remarkable crude oil/seawater separation ability, the versatile aerogel provides a promising way to deal with large-area oil spills.