Incorporation of UiO-66-NH2 into modified PAN nanofibers to enhance adsorption capacity and selectivity for oil removal

In this research, an attempt has been made to prepare a membrane with high adsorption capacity and high separation efficiency for oil water. The composite membrane of UiO-66-NH 2 and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were fabricated by electrospinning, and hydrophobic modification was carried out to obtain the oil selectivity. UiO-66-NH 2 loaded on fibers significantly enhanced the oil affinity and surface roughness of the composite membrane. The composite membrane was used for colleseed oil, kerosene, methylbenzene, methyl silicone oil and dichloromethane adsorption, and the maximum adsorption capacity were 31.5, 21.9, 19.9, 39.9, 39.7 g·g −1 , respectively, which was 32–96% higher than pure PAN adsorbent. The amount of UiO-66-NH 2 loaded on fibers accelerated the diffusion of oil in membrane and reduced the adsorption time to reach equilibrium. The adsorption process can be well described by pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion model. The composite membrane also showed potential reusability. In addition, the composite membrane has excellent performance in oil/water separation, and the oil can be separated from mixture solution just under gravity. The oil flux is 2286 Lm −2 h −1 and remains 1568 Lm −2 h −1 after ten times continuous filtration. Overall, the composite PAN-MOFs-coated membrane has promising potential in practical application in oil/water separation.