Review of plant cellulose-based aerogel materials for oil/water mixture separation

Oil spills and industrial oily wastewater discharges have caused serious environmental pollution problems and exacerbated water shortages worldwide. The separation of immiscible oil/water mixtures and oil/water emulsions is of great significance. Among the various technologies, sorption and filtration are considered the most effective and economic. Plant cellulose-based aerogels have attracted considerable attention for the separation of oil/water mixtures and emulsions, due to their wide range and low-cost of raw materials, large specific surface areas, high porosity, and biodegradability. This paper reviews the development of plant cellulose-based aerogels and their applications in the field of oil adsorption and oil/water emulsion separation in recent years. The paper mainly includes the theoretical basis of surface wettability, summary of preparation strategies of plant cellulose-based aerogels, the mechanism of different modification methods and their corresponding advantages and drawbacks. Finally, the current challenges faced by plant cellulose-based aerogels for practical applications are discussed, and potential solutions are recommended for future development.