Nature-Driven Superhydrophobic Sepiolite/Chitosan Hybrid Aerogel: A Multifunctional Platform for High-Efficiency Oil–Water Separation and Versatile Pollutant Removal

The escalating contamination of water resources by oil spills and pollutants (e.g., heavy metal ions and antibiotics) poses a critical threat to ecological security and human health. To address this dual challenge, we have developed a superhydrophobic biomass-derived aerogel by modifying sepiolite/chitosan composites with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), denoted as Sep/CS@PDMS. This aerogel exhibits remarkable capability in oil–water separation. It integrates a hierarchically porous structure with water contact angles exceeding 150°, enabling efficient oil–water separation via peristaltic pump-assisted processes. Notably, it maintains a separation efficiency of over 92% after 10 cyclic operations and demonstrates exceptional self-cleaning capabilities to resist fouling. Beyond its separation performance, the Sep/CS aerogel shows multifunctional adsorption capacities for pollutants such as Cu2+, Pb2+, and tetracycline hydrochloride (TC-HCl), achieving removal efficiencies exceeding 85% within 60 min. This work provides a sustainable strategy for managing oily wastewater and complex emerging contaminants, offering significant potential for scalable water remediation applications.