Magnetic recyclable carbon nanotubes and its demulsification performance in oily wastewater

ABSTRACT

In current study, a magnetic recyclable carbon nanotube demulsifier (CNTs/Fe₃O₄) was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscope, and vibrating samples magnetometer. The demulsification efficiency in oily wastewater reached 99.6% under optimal conditions and the total organic carbon of the separated water was reduced to 32.8 mg/L. Moreover, the recyclability test indicated that CNTs/Fe₃O₄ could be reused four times without significant reduction in light transmittance. Furthermore, the possible demulsification mechanism was also proposed. As a promising magnetic material with interfacial activity and recyclability, CNTs/Fe₃O₄ demonstrated a promising application to separate crude oil from oily wastewater.

KEYWORDS:

• Crude oil emulsion
• magnetic demulsifiers
• demulsification efficiency
• recyclability

Additional information

Funding

This Study was supported by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control (Grant No. PPC2016006), CNPC Research Institute of Safety and Environmental Technology.