After being pretreated with tannic acid(TA)/Fe3+compound(TA/Fe3+),the melamine sponge(MS)was modified by the biowax emulsions to prepare the hydrophobic MS(MS-TA/Fe3+-Wax)with high oil absorption capacity.The microscopic morphology,structural composition and surface wettability of the original and modified MS samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurement,and the oil absorption properties of the sponges were investigated.The results shows that the MS-TA/Fe3+-Wax exhibit high hydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 141.5°.At room temperature and normal pressure,the absorption capacity of MS-TA/Fe3+-Wax for various oils and organics including n-octane,dichloromethane,toluene,diesel,pump oil and rapeseed oil can reach 54.91-97.46 g/g.The oil absorption process of the modified sponge is in accordance with the proposed secondary kinetics.The hydrophobically modified MS materials can realize recycling through squeezing desorption,and have a promising application prospect in the treatment of oil-water contaminants.