One-step fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic cigarette filters for oil-water separation

To develop a simple and efficient way to recycle used cigarette filters, we report on a one-step method for preparing superhydrophobic and superoleophilic cigarette filters for oil–water separation. The robust coating layer on the surface of the cellulose acetate fiber, along with the inherent rough texture of the cigarette filter, could lead to its surface that displayed superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. Water droplets can retain in spherical shapes on the modified cigarette filters, while oils were immediately absorbed by the cigarette filters with high absorption capacity. As a result, free oil–water mixtures were separated with efficiency of above 98.0% by the driving force of gravity, and water-in-oil emulsion was also separated with a promising flux of about 2500 L m−2 h−1. The purity of oil for the tested emulsion was above 99.96%, indicating extremely high separation efficiency. This method for the fabrication of the superhydrophobic and superoleophilic cigarette filters would be a good candidate for recycling the solid wastes and developing an economic oil–water separation material to meet emerging needs in practical applications.