Innovative TiO2-doped polyvinyl alcohol sponge for efficient oil–water separation and dye degradation in wastewater treatment

Regular problems faced due to oil spills and soluble contaminants have increasingly caused serious water pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop efficient strategies to purify wastewater. This study aims to formulate a synergistic treatment technology of sorption and ultraviolet light catalysis for oil–water separation and degradation of dyes in wastewater. In this study, TiO2 doped PVF sponge (DTMS-TiO2@PVF) was prepared with a water contact angle of 151.5° and a removal rate of 98.86 % of MB in 120 min. Meanwhile, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge could easily realize the selective separation of oil–water mixtures. Its saturated sorption capacity for oil and organic solvent was 4.13–10.05 g/g. In addition, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge had better environmental stability, which could withstand chemical corrosion (acid, alkaline, and salt solutions). Therefore, DTMS-TiO2@PVF sponge showed great potential for application as an efficient oil–water separation and photocatalytic material, especially in the field of treating oil wastewater and water purification.