MUMBAI, India, Sept. 22 -- Intellectual Property India has published a patent application (202611090373 A) filed by Graphic Era Deemed To Be University on July 24, 2026, for A Nanocellulose Membrane And Method For Separating Crude Oil From Oily Wastewater.
Inventors include Adeeba Mirza; and Abhilasha Mishra.
The application for the patent was published on September 18, 2026, under issue no. 38/2026.
Abstract: The invention relates to membrane-based oil-water separation, and provides a nano-cellulose membrane comprising a nano-cellulose matrix and a stearic acid modified silica-zirconia inorganic nanophase for selective separation of crude oil and organic liquids from oily wastewater. Nano-silica and zirconia are produced by a sol-gel technique to form a stable silica-zirconia sol, modified with stearic acid, hydrothermally mixed with a nano-cellulose solution, and cast into membrane form. The exposed membrane surface exhibits roughness-forming architecture, superhydrophobicity and oleophilicity, with surface free energy as low as 8 mN/m and water contact angle up to 154.3 degrees, thereby resisting water penetration while permitting crude oil passage. Compared with conventional separation materials, the membrane provides improved selectivity, antifouling performance, separation efficiency up to 98.7%, and oil flux of 6724 Lm-2h-1bar-1, for treatment of oily wastewater and recovery of light crude oil and organic solvents.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
