Separation of Oil/Water Using Additive Manufacturing

Author

• Muhammad Daniyal Raza, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Manufacturing Engineering

First Advisor

Farid Ahmed

Second Advisor

AMM Nazmul Ahsan

Third Advisor

Maysam Pournik

Abstract

The increasing volumes of oilfield produced water (OPW) resulting from global oil and gas production present a significant environmental challenge, particularly in oil-rich regions. OPW, composed of formation water, flowback water, requires efficient separation techniques to minimize environmental impact and enable its reuse in various applications. This research focuses on the development of a multilayer structure system for oil–water separation using Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) as the base substrate, coated with Al₂O₃ followed by TiO₂ to enhance separation performance. The Al₂O₃ layer was applied using a sol–gel method to improve surface adhesion and provide a stable intermediate layer, while the TiO₂ coating was introduced as the primary functional layer to enhance surface wettability and oil–water separation efficiency. The performance of the developed structures was evaluated using a gravimetric method to determine separation efficiency across structures of different surface areas. The results demonstrated that bare PETG structures exhibited very low separation efficiency, which significantly improved after Al₂O₃ coating and further increased after TiO₂ modification. The multilayer structure system showed a clear enhancement in separation performance, with the highest efficiency achieved for smaller distance between pillars. The study highlights the importance of combining surface modification with structural design to improve structure performance. Overall, this research contributes to the development of low-temperature, structure systems for oil–water separation. The findings provide a promising approach for improving water treatment technologies and support sustainable resource management in different applications.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Muhammad Daniyal Raza. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3371254573

Recommended Citation

Raza, M.(2026). Separation of Oil/Water Using Additive Manufacturing [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1913