US 12,441,634 B1
Method for separating nonpolar hydrocarbon from water
Tawfik Abdo Saleh Awadh, Dhahran (SA); and Nadeem Baig, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jun. 24, 2025, as Appl. No. 19/247,547.
Application 18/117,247 is a division of application No. 16/521,202, filed on Jul. 24, 2019, granted, now 11,613,479, issued on Mar. 28, 2023.
Application 19/247,547 is a continuation of application No. 18/117,247, filed on Mar. 3, 2023, granted, now 12,371,350.
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C02F 1/28 (2023.01); B01J 20/20 (2006.01); B01J 20/26 (2006.01); B01J 20/28 (2006.01); B01J 20/32 (2006.01); C02F 101/32 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 1/288 (2013.01) [B01J 20/20 (2013.01); B01J 20/261 (2013.01); B01J 20/262 (2013.01); B01J 20/28045 (2013.01); B01J 20/28059 (2013.01); B01J 20/28083 (2013.01); B01J 20/28085 (2013.01); B01J 20/3212 (2013.01); B01J 20/3225 (2013.01); B01J 20/324 (2013.01); B01J 20/327 (2013.01); C02F 1/281 (2013.01); C02F 1/285 (2013.01); C02F 2101/32 (2013.01); C02F 2303/16 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of separating a nonpolar hydrocarbon from water, comprising:
contacting the water with a composite material,
wherein the composite material adsorbs 8-25 times its weight of the nonpolar hydrocarbon;
wherein the composite material comprises:
a polyurethane foam comprising an open-cell structure having an exterior surface and containing pores having an interior pore surface;
a coating layer of reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) on at least 70% of a total of the exterior surface and the interior pore surface and in contact with the polyurethane foam, wherein the r-GO layer is in the form of nanoplatelets having a thickness of from 40 nm to 110 nm, a diameter of from 5 μm to 45 μm and a length to thickness aspect ratio of from 40:1 to 1,200:1; and
a layer of polystyrene in contact with both the surface of the layer of r-GO and directly in contact with the surface of the polyurethane foam, wherein an average thickness of the polystyrene layer is from 500 nm to 4.5 μm; and
wherein the composite material has pore diameters in a range of 50-500 μm.