Hydrophobic polypropylene melt-blown membrane for oil spill remediation and volatile organic compounds capture

The increasing environmental impact of crude oil spills and airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has necessitated the development of multifunctional, efficient, and scalable materials for environmental remediation. In this study, a commercially available melt-blown polypropylene (PP) nanofibrous membrane was systematically evaluated for its dual-function capacity in oil spill recovery and VOC capture. Characterization confirmed its hydrophobicity (water contact angle ≈126 ), mechanical flexibility, and thermal stability up to 400 C. The membrane demonstrated high oil adsorption capacities ranging from 15 to 27 1, with enhanced uptake following pretreatment with toluene. Remarkably, oil adsorption in seawater reached up to 40.8 1, outperforming its performance in deionized water due to lower interfacial tension between crude oil and seawater. The membrane exhibited excellent flux values, particularly for low-viscosity organic solvents (reaching 2985Lm⁻ h⁻1 for hexane), and retained approximately 90% of its initial adsorption capacity after chemical regeneration via toluene washing. Additionally, the PP membrane effectively captured VOC vapors (i.e., formaldehyde, toluene, benzene, o-xylene), with thermal desorption behavior confirming physisorption as the dominant mechanism. Notably, formaldehyde showed the highest apparent uptake due to co-condensation with water vapor. GC-MS analysis following mixed VOC exposure revealed a non-competitive adsorption profile, indicating possible cooperative interactions among VOC species. Overall, the hydrophobic melt-blown PP membrane offers a scalable and cost-effective platform for integrated environmental remediation, combining oil spill mitigation with airborne VOC capture.