The present invention provides a hydrophilic/oleophobic sponge, a preparation method and use thereof, and belongs to the technical field of functional material preparation. In the present invention, a modified solution is obtained by mixing a nanoparticle suspension with a modifier solution; the nanoparticle suspension includes silica-encapsulated Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 nanoparticle suspension and/or nano-silica ethanol suspension; the modifier solution includes chitosan-acetic acid aqueous solution and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution. The sponge is soaked in the modified solution, mixed and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde aqueous solution to obtain the hydrophilic/oleophobic sponge, conferring good oil-water separation ability on the sponge. The sponge effectively separates a heavy water layer from oil-water mixtures with such light oils as lubricating oil, engine oil, pump oil, crude oil, gasoline, and sunflower seed oil in a simple gravity-driven manner. The hydrophilic/oleophobic sponge prepared by the present invention has good application prospects in oil-water separation.

A separator assembly for separating fat, oil, and grease from effluent includes a container for receiving and holding effluent water containing oil, grease and solid waste to be removed from the effluent water and a communications module having a processor, memory and transmitter at the facility site to communicate over cellular or WiFi signals with a remote station. The separator may include a skimmer to skim F.O.G. from the effluent water held in the container or be of a grease trap mode collecting F.O.G. for subsequent removal.

A container for receiving and holding effluent water containing oil/grease to be removed including a sealed enclosure. In one example, a cover supports a partially immersed rotatable disk; a drive on the main sectional cover rotates the disk; a trough on the main sectional cover straddles the disk; and a blade on the trough scrapes a side of the disk, to direct oil and grease from the disk along the scraper blade along the trough for collection in a storage container. Efficiencies of construction of the sectional covers, disk and a sensor probe are disclosed in some examples. Also disclosed are apparatus, system and methods for a sealed container for receiving and holding effluent water containing oil/grease to be removed.

Certain aspects of the invention relate to a method of synthesizing a composite usably for oil-water separation comprising surface nanostructuring a pristine powder or porous material to form a nanostructured powder or porous material having surfaces with nanoscale features; and coating single or multilayers of one or more low surface energy oligomers, polymers, or their composites with other materials on the surfaces of the nanostructured powder or porous material.

The present invention relates in part to a lignin composition and a method of fabricating a lignin composition. The invention also relates in part to a method of using a lignin composition to adsorb onto a petrochemical oil comprising the steps of providing a solution of lignin in an alcohol, providing an oil on a liquid surface, contacting the oil with the solution of lignin in an alcohol, adsorbing the lignin to the oil, and removing the adsorbed oil from the surface of the liquid.

A surface containment system to contain liquid contaminates escaping from a vessel, the containment system having in one example: a water and oil impermeable barrier liner positioned below the vessel; a perimeter wall surrounding the vessel, the perimeter wall extending vertically from the ground surface and supporting a portion of the barrier liner so as to form a containment reservoir; at least one fluid conduit through the barrier liner, the fluid conduit having a filter configured to retain contaminates and configured to allow water to pass by way of gravity from the reservoir through the impermeable barrier; the perimeter wall formed of a plurality of wall panels connected by way of struts each having a vertical component, a base component anchored to ground.

There is disclosed a collector for machine fluids, comprising a mat having a perimeter wall upstanding therefrom, the mat and/or the wall comprising oleophilic material and the wall being water-permeable, so that water falling into the collector within the perimeter wall can escape therefrom, while the machine fluids are retained by said oleophilic material and wherein the collector comprises at least one composite component for machine fluid retention comprising at least three layers wherein at least one layer comprises activated carbon and wherein this layer is secured within the composite between two layers of porous material mechanically bonded to each other, preferably via needle punching, through the activated carbon layer. The collector has high efficiency in removing PAHs and other aromatics from oil/fuel contaminated water.

A method for removing oil in cleaning liquid, by which fine oil in cleaning liquid can be removed efficiently with a filter element for a general-purpose filter element for separating foreign substance. As a plurality of annular protrusions 22d are formed on an outer circumferential surface 22a of the filter element 22 along substantially whole length of the filter element 22 in axis line direction thereof, innumerable small eddies 40 are created in annular grooves 22e between the neighboring annular protrusions 22d. Such eddies 40 are created by Coanda effect in a situation where cleaning liquid having viscosity flows along the annular protrusions 22e. As such eddies 40 are of a negative pressure, fine oil 41 lighter than water is separated from water and captured by filament of the lipophilic filter element 22.

A method and a system for purification of oil, said method comprising the steps of: -providing separation aid and oil to be purified to at least one sedimentation tank; -waiting for allowing a sludge phase to sediment to a bottom part of the sedimentation tank, said sludge phase comprising the separation aid together with impurities from the oil; -removing an oil phase not comprising said sludge phase from the at least one sedimentation tank; and -filtering said oil phase through a depth filter for removing any possible remaining separation aid and impurities.

An apparatus for collection and disposal of fats, oil and grease that includes a fabric container having at least one open end, a biogradable material capable of absorbing a large quantity of fats, oil and grease positioned in the container through the open end, the container and biogradable material adapted for being placed in a source of fats, oil and/or grease for absorbing the fats, oil and/or grease for removal from the source and for transport to a location for processing.