An expanding horizon: Recyclable dual-functional size-adjusted fluorinated mesh devices for large-scale oily wastewater remediation

The general lack of water resources makes the treatment of oily wastewater as an urgent concern, which causes catastrophic damage to ecosystems and environment. Construction of a universal oil/water separator is not an easy task, because the reported processes are relatively complex and it is difficult to achieve industrial large-scale production. To overcome this problem, herein, using the low-cost and frequently-used metal (stainless steel, etc.) meshes as raw materials, two kinds of oil/water separators with different moving models have firstly designed via a universal technique of a facile chemical etching and fluoridation coating process . The newly synthesized superhydrophobic/superoilphilic stainless steel or copper mesh with surface morphology , high purity and structure stability displayed an excellent anti-wetting property (high water contact angle of >157°) after a series of tests of immersion, droplet rolling-off, anti-impacting process, 30days exposure aging in open-air, etc. In addition, experimental results revealed that the fresh and aging separators can maintain excellent oily wastewater remediation efficiency up to ∼99% even after 25 separation cycles, making them economical and commercially viable. This study provides a novel perspective for advancement in designing oil/water separator with low cost, less energy consumption and high efficiency for universal application.