Development of a facile and robust silicomanganese slag-based geopolymer membrane for oil/water separation

Abstract Superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membranes with high permeability, high selectivity, and excellent antifouling performance have attracted considerable attention for oil/water separation. However, complex processing, high cost, and low efficiency limit their widespread application. There is an urgent need to develop novel, low-cost, and eco-friendly membranes. Therefore, in this study, a novel geopolymer-based membrane was prepared by a facile “dipping & curing” process, and silicomanganese slag solid waste was utilized as an original material. The attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared and contact angle results showed that the geopolymer-based membrane has superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic characteristics. All membrane samples showed high separation efficiencies (≥98%) for different oil/water mixtures. The 0.8SSGM sample had the highest water flux of 1114.70 kg/(m2·h) and cycle stability during 20 times reuse. This study provides a new understanding of the recycling of silicomanganese slag solid waste, an application route for geopolymer materials, and low-cost oil/water separation membranes.