Efficient Separation of Oil-Water and Fatty Alcohol-Water Emulsions by Vacuum Filtration Using Bacterial Cellulose Membranes

The emulsions of water-insoluble organic compounds such as oil and fatty alcohol based solvents, are widely encountered in chemical industries and this type of emulsions have led to significant environmental pollution. Therefore, it is crucial to explore effective approaches for removal of waste oil and other fatty solvents present in aqueous emulsions. In this study two types of aqueous emulsions were studied to separate water; water/oil and 1-decanol/water emulsions. A vacuum membrane filtration system was used to separate the emulsions. Bacterial cellulose (BC) membranes were synthesized using Gluconacetobacter xylinus bacteria. Our findings demonstrate that BC membranes can effectively separate water from oil and fatty alcohol based solvent containing emulsions, thereby providing a viable solution for environmental remediation.