Application of fibrous structures in separation of water and oil emulsions: A review

Extracted crude oil has always some emulsion saline water which mainly depends on several parameters such as phase position in container, geographic location of the oil field, the longevity of oil container, extraction procedure, and water injection method. However, water as an inseparable part of oil products causes various problems such as droplets-freezing in aircraft fuel-tank, especially at high flight altitudes which could result in the sudden collapse of the aerospace structure. On the other hand, the water oxidation effect can also reduce the lifetime of some oil products, especially those industrially used. To overcome this problem, the process of separating water from oil products as well as finding suitable methods for oil refining has been recently considered by many researchers. On the aspects of cost-effectiveness and high efficiency, nanofiber filters are well-known among several separating techniques because of their porous structure, low weight, and high permeability. This study mainly focuses on high-applicable filters based on the nanofibrous mat used in purifying the water-in-oil emulsions. A comparison between existing research shows that the use of nanofiber filters can be a great alternative to other methods of separating water from oil because of its high efficiency and good performance of separation.