A mesh based boom to stop oil spread
Abstract
In this work, we develop a new boom to separate oil and water. In a commonly used boom, a membrane that has no pores is normally used to block oil spread. Since this membrane also blocks water flow, high pressure is easy to build on such a membrane to break or damage it. To solve this problem, in the new boom, the membrane is replaced with a hydrogel-coated mesh. The hydrogel-coated mesh has dual properties of superhydrophilicity and superoleophobicity. Accordingly, water can still go through the mesh, while oil cannot. Subsequently, liquid pressure on the mesh is reduced. In this work, we explore the development of the new boom.