Preparation and application of magnetic superhydrophobic polydivinylbenzene nanofibers for oil adsorption in wastewater

Superhydrophobic materials have an excellent performance in oil adsorption. In this study, a novel magnetic polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) nanofiber was synthesized by the method of cation polymerization to adsorb oil from water. The magnetic PDVB was hollow nanofiber with Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded in its structure. The synthesis condition was optimized that the ratio of divinylbenzene (DVB) to boron fluoride ethyl ether (BFEE) was 10:1 (v/v), and the Fe3O4 dosage was 0.175 g/g of DVB. The material showed an excellent oil adsorption performance in wastewater, and the oil concentration could be reduced from 2000 to 92.2 mg/L within 5 min. The magnetic PDVB had relatively high adsorption capacity (12 g/g) for oil, which could be attributed to its super hydrophobicity and one-dimensional nanostructure with high crosslinking degree. The isotherm study indicated that the magnetic PDVB adsorbed oil was an asymmetric or multilayer adsorption process. The material could be regenerated by simple squeeze and maintain its adsorption capacity after it has been used for 10 recycles. In real coking wastewater, the magnetic PDVB kept a good oil adsorption performance without the interference of various pollutants, indicating a wide prospect in practical use.