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 cellulosebased 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.