Spongy graphene as a highly efficient and recyclable sorbent for oils and organic solvents

In this work, spongy graphene (SG), a shape-mouldable and nanoporous material with a high specific surface area used as a versatile and recyclable sorbent material, is proposed and studied. SG shows highly efficient absorption of not only petroleum products and fats, but also toxic solvents such as toluene and chloroform (up to 86 times of its own weight), requiring no further pretreatment, which is tens of times higher than that of conventional absorbers. Moreover, SG can be regenerated (>10 times) by heat treatment, yielding the full release of adsorbates (>99%). The present work suggests SG a widespread potential for applications in industry as well as topics regarding environmental protection. Spongy graphene (SG) shows highly efficient absorption of not only petroleum products and fats but also common toxic solvents such as toluene and chloroform, taking in up to 86 times its own weight. This is several to tens of times higher than that of conventional absorbers. Moreover, the SG can be regenerated more than ten times by heat treatment yielding the full release of adsorbates.