Research Progress on the Application of Aerogel for Oil-water Separation

With the acceleration of industrialization, oil-water separation technology is becoming more and more important in environmental protection and resource recovery. Traditional separation technologies, such as gravity separation, centrifugal separation, and chemical emulsification, have low efficiency, high energy consumption, and are prone to secondary contamination, and there is an urgent need for new high-efficiency materials. As an emerging nanoporous material, aerogel shows great potential in oil-water separation due to its ultra-high porosity, low density and large specific surface area. This paper reviews the principles and advantages and disadvantages of traditional oil-water separation methods, and analyzes the preparation methods of different kinds of aerogel materials and their effect advantages in oil-water separation applications. It focuses on the preparation process, performance characteristics and application areas of natural polymer-based aerogels, synthetic polymer-based aerogels and composite aerogels.In addition, the article outlines the structural optimization and separation principles of aerogels, points out the key influence of structural factors such as porosity and specific surface area on adsorption performance, and analyzes a variety of separation mechanisms, such as adsorption, filtration, and gravity-driven. Finally, the current development status and challenges of aerogel materials are summarized, and future development directions are proposed.