Eco-friendly MXene/enteromorpha prolifera biomass aerogel with excellent photothermal conversion and flame retardant properties for efficient separation of viscous oil/seawater mixture

[Display omitted] •Short-range aligned multidomain lamellar structure improves oil adsorption efficiency and mechanical properties.•Aerogel separates difficult-to-rupture O/W emulsions assisted by the kinetic energy of the oscillator.•Fast heat response of the aerogel improves viscous oil adsorption rate.•Pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models were established to study the adsorption mechanism.•Enteromorpha prolifera biomass aerogel shows superior low fire risk, degradability and non-toxicity. Traditional adsorbents are often ineffective in cleaning up high-viscosity oil spills that cause harm to the marine environment. An efficient, safe and eco-friendly solution is urgently needed. Here, we prepare a superhydrophobic MXene/gelatin-enteromorpha prolifera biomass aerogel (H-MXene/G-EP) with excellent photothermal conversion and flame retardancy for solar-driven remediation of high-viscosity oil spills. The short-range aligned multidomain lamellar structure constructed through unidirectional freeze casting endows H-MXene/G-EP with compressibility and an adsorption capacity (63.7 g/g). Due to the excellent light responsiveness and full-spectrum high absorption of H-MXene/G-EP, it can reach a surface temperature 71.6 °C under 1 Sun (1.0 kW/m2), and an in-situ adsorption rate 367.40 g/h for viscous crude oil. The efficiency of separating O/W emulsions is up to 99.1%, which greatly broadens the range of applications for oil/water separation technology. Furthermore, the H-MXene/G-EP exhibits excellent flame retardancy, reducing the heat release rate by 89.59% and the total smoke production rate by 47.83%, respectively. This effectively reduces the probability of secondary marine fires. Thus, this novel biomass-derived aerogel provides a feasible and environmentally friendly solution for effective remediation of marine oil spills.