Polyamidoamine grafted with magnetic material (M-Gn-PAMAM): an efficient demulsifier for oil-contaminated industrial wastewater

A magnetic demulsifier, denoted M-Gn-PAMAM (n = 1, 2, 3), was synthesized by reacting polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with Fe3O4@SiO2. The characteristics of magnetic nano-polymer were investigated via using XRD analysis, FT-IR, TEM, and VSM methods. The as-prepared M-Gn-PAMAM was highly effective at removing oil from wastewater produced from ASP flooding, with a maximum oil removal rate of 94% at 60 °C. Furthermore, the regeneration experiments illustrated that M-Gn-PAMAM could be readily recovered by an external magnetic field and it could be recycled up to 9 times without a significant loss in demulsification efficiency. In conclusion, the magnetic demulsifier synthesized in this study could be a promising nanomaterial for use in emulsified oil-water separation.