In-situ synthesis of superhydrophobic PLA-UiO-66-NH2@MS melamine sponge composite for high efficiency oil/water separation

[Display omitted] •Compared with the traditional separation method, we propose a new composite sponge material with the advantages of low energy consumption, fast collection rate, and safety.•The synthetic UiO-66-NH2 and polylactic acid are both green and safe new materials, which benefit environmental protection and have great potential in treating organic pollutants in water bodies.•The oil/water separation efficiency of the prepared superhydrophobic sponge is higher than 99%, and the water content in the separated oil–water mixture is less than 10 ppm. In recent years, oil and organic solvent pollution of water bodies have deteriorated water quality, harmed ecosystems, and presented serious concerns to human health and biodiversity. Traditional oil/water separation technologies are inefficient, consume a lot of energy, and are difficult to operate. As a result, finding efficient, environmentally beneficial, and long-term separation solutions to manage water pollution is challenging. This paper proposes UNP@MS, a MOF-based sponge material to achieve superhydrophobicity and super lipophilicity, the material is developed on a melamine sponge loaded with UiO-66-NH2 and grafted with a polylactic acid (PLA) component. It achieves a remarkable oil/water separation efficiency of 99% even under difficult conditions (such as acidic or alkaline solutions) and displays exceptional separation efficiency for various oils. Furthermore, the oil absorption capacity maintains at 85% after ten cycles of oil absorption, exhibiting outstanding stability.