PFI (RAPID): A Rapid Response Proposal for Mitigating the Deposition of Oil on Gulf Shores via Oil Anti-deposition Strategies

PFI（RAPID）：通过石油反沉积策略减轻墨西哥湾沿岸石油沉积的快速响应提案

• 批准号: 1047662
• 负责人: Robert Lochhead
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of Southern Mississippi
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-01 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1047662&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; RAPID; Rapid; Response; Proposal

Deepwater Horizon oil spill is now threatening the Gulf Coastline and the wildlife and economies that depend upon this region. Mitigation of the effects of the oil on the land and wildlife could be achieved if the deposition of the oil onto these substrates could be prevented. In this context, deposition of oil onto substrates is routinely achieved in laundry by the use of polymeric soil anti-redeposition agents. This RAPID project seeks to investigate the propensity of these agents to mitigate the effects of oil deposition on the Gulf Coast. The project will identify effective oil anti-deposition aids that are nontoxic, biodegradable and available commercially in amount large enough to mitigate the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf Coastline. These agents are polymers that essentially sterically-stabilize the oil droplets and prevent close approach at which attractive London dispersion forces would operate. However, the Gulf is much larger than a laundry load, the oil in the Gulf is overwhelming the system, and the water is seawater rather than freshwater. These are significant unknown variables. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile exploring the use of oil anti-deposition agents for their possible effect in mitigating this disaster. The most commonly used soil anti-redeposition agents are cellulose ethers, which are available inexpensively in large commercial quantities. Carboxymethylcellulose ethers are listed on the EPA subinventory. These are not likely to accumulate in the food chain due to their water solubility and high molecular weight (bioconcentration potential is low). They are nontoxic to fish and aquatic organisms on an acute basis. They are expected to slowly biodegrade in the aquatic environment. These compounds are already released into the environment in vast quantities as a consequence of their widespread use in laundry detergents. There are also Marine proteins that are by-products of fisheries that will be investigated in the proposed research, for their ability to prevent oil from sticking to coastal substrates. The search for anti-deposition aids normally would be expected to require years of intensive effort. However, as a consequence of the high throughput laboratory and concomitant skill sets that has been built under the aegis of the Partnerships for Innovation program (PFI Award 0917730), the Principal Investigator has considerable knowledge of the science of consumer goods, such as laundry detergents, and he will lead the high throughput screening effort with state-of the art robotic liquid handlers and micro-channel emulsification devices. This study will also provide a basis for the real understanding of the role of adsorbing hydrophilic polymers on seawater substrates for the purposes of anti-deposition.If successful, the knowledge gained will mitigate the effects of the current catastrophic oil spill and provide materials to tackle future similar disasters. The project will educate the scientific workforce on combinatorial experimentation methods, and in response to crises.

深水地平线石油泄漏正在威胁着墨西哥湾的海岸线以及依赖该地区的野生动物和经济。如果能够防止石油沉积在这些基质上，就可以减轻石油对土地和野生动物的影响。在这种情况下，在洗衣中通常通过使用聚合物污垢抗再沉积剂来实现油在基底上的沉积。这个快速项目旨在调查这些代理人的倾向，以减轻对墨西哥湾沿岸石油沉积的影响。该项目将确定有效的石油抗沉积助剂，这些助剂无毒、可生物降解，并且商业上可以获得足够大的数量，以减轻深水地平线石油泄漏对海湾岸线的影响。这些试剂是基本上空间稳定油滴并防止吸引性伦敦分散力作用的紧密接近的聚合物。然而，墨西哥湾比洗衣房要大得多，墨西哥湾的石油淹没了系统，水是海水而不是淡水。这些都是重要的未知变量。然而，值得探讨的是使用防油沉积剂，以减轻这种灾难的可能效果。最常用的污垢抗再沉积剂是纤维素醚，其可大量廉价获得。羧甲基纤维素醚列于EPA子目录。由于这些物质的水溶性和高分子量，它们不太可能在食物链中积累（生物浓缩潜力低）。它们对鱼类和水生生物在急性基础上无毒。预计它们在水生环境中会缓慢生物降解。由于这些化合物在洗衣洗涤剂中的广泛使用，它们已经大量释放到环境中。还有一些海洋蛋白质是渔业的副产品，将在拟议的研究中进行调查，因为它们能够防止石油粘在沿海基质上。一般认为，寻找抗沉积助剂需要多年的艰苦努力。然而，由于高通量实验室和伴随的技能组合，已经在创新伙伴关系计划的支持下建立（PFI奖0917730），主要研究者对消费品科学有相当的了解，如洗衣粉，他将领导高通量筛选工作，使用最先进的机器人液体处理器和微通道乳化装置。这项研究还将为真实的了解海水基质上吸附亲水性聚合物的抗沉积作用提供基础。如果成功，所获得的知识将减轻当前灾难性漏油事件的影响，并为应对未来类似灾难提供材料。该项目将教育科学劳动力组合实验方法，并在应对危机。