RAPID for Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Interactions of Crude Oil with Dispersants and Naturally Occurring Particles

美国历史上最严重的石油泄漏每天都在恶化：由于英国石油公司/深水地平线公司的事故，每天约有150万加仑的原油涌入墨西哥湾。已经使用了超过100万加仑的化学分散剂来驱散漏油，这一数量巨大的分散剂引发了对野生动物和暴露在其中的人类的担忧。很明显，清理石油的努力将是激烈的，对环境的影响将是持续的。迫切需要有关石油分散剂相互作用的基本信息，以促进分散剂的重新配制，从而使其对野生动物和人类健康更安全。此外，还需要关于原油和矿物颗粒之间相互作用的基本信息。建议的研究针对漏油危机，PI建议(1)推进便于重新配制当前使用的分散剂的方法，以减少/取代危险成分，以及(2)开发以矿物颗粒为基础的石油分散剂，对环境的影响较小。(1)油和分散剂将在受控的水环境中接触，规模为(I)单个油滴(新颖的设置)和(Ii)大量液滴(当前的EPA测试)，从这两个设置获得的信息将被分析/合成，以便(A)在分子/纳米级产生关于油-表面活性剂相互作用的数据，(B)解决分散剂各组分的分散贡献，以及(C)通过使用这里将开发的单滴方法促进分散剂配方的优化。(2)(I)将表征原油在各种矿物表面(与砂子和沉积物有关)上的润湿和附着，并将根据表面自由能参数对这些发现进行分析，这些参数随后可用于预测各种条件下的润湿/附着行为。(Ii)将研究原油在矿物颗粒以及矿物颗粒和分子表面活性剂存在下的乳化作用(寻求协同作用)，并对结果进行分析，以评估天然矿物颗粒分散剂的效果。为了解决性质的可变性问题，将系统地改变条件，并将测试从墨西哥湾地区收集的模型化合物(API标准)和样品。单滴方法将有助于快速测试以处理原油中的自然可变性。智力优点和创新该项目将有助于了解原油与分散剂(作为配方及其单独成分)之间的相互作用以及原油与矿物颗粒之间的相互作用的基础知识(目前出版的文献中缺乏)。这项工作将通过探索替代载体溶剂(例如食品级)、替代表面活性剂(例如烷基葡萄糖苷)和矿物颗粒作为表面活性剂的适用性来扩大目前的选择。EPA烧瓶分散试验与新开发的单滴分散方法之间的联系可以实现对分散剂的高通量筛选，为针对给定的漏油事件快速重新配制分散剂铺平道路。以矿物颗粒为基础的新型石油分散剂的开发提供了使用天然成分来阻止石油泄漏的机会，并增加了海岸线修复所需的石油-矿物相互作用知识。广泛影响拟议工作的结果可能有助于对当前形势进行即时、客观和独立的评估，因为它在水中(石油分散)和海岸线(矿物上的石油沉积)演变，将为决定使用何种类型和数量的分散剂提供参考，以及如何处理海岸线和生物表面以清除剩余石油的决定。这项工作将由学术研究人员进行，他们与石油公司没有利益冲突，并将公开分享他们的数据。几名研究生和本科生将参与研究，包括在科学和工程领域代表性较低的群体成员。化学工程三年级和四年级学生将完成与此主题相关的课程项目。

1049395TsianouMotivation The worst oil spill in US history is getting worse every single day: about 1.5 million gallons of crude oil are being spewed each day into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the BP/Deepwater Horizon accident. Over 1 million gallons of chemical dispersants have been used in an effort to break up the oil spill, a huge amount that causes concerns for the wildlife and humans exposed to it. It is clear that the oil clean up efforts will be intense, and the environmental impact will be persistent. There is an urgent need for fundamental information on oil dispersant interactions that would facilitate the reformulation of dispersants so as to render them safer toward wildlife and human health. Also, a need for fundamental information on interactions between crude oil and mineral particles.Proposed ResearchIn response to the oil spill crisis, the PI proposes to (1) advance methodologies that facilitate the reformulation of currently used dispersants, so as to reduce/replace hazardous ingredients, and (2)develop oil dispersants based on mineral particles that will have low impact on the environment. (1) Oil and dispersant will be brought into contact in a controlled, aqueous environment at a scale of (i) an individual oil drop (novel set-up) and (ii) large populations of drops (current EPA test), and the information obtained from the two setups will be analyzed/synthesized in order to (a) generate dataon oil-surfactant interactions at the molecular/nanoscale level, (b) resolve the contribution to the dispersion of the individual components f the disper-sant, and (c) facilitate the optimization of dispersant formulation through the use of the single-drop methodology that will be developed here. (2)(i) The wetting and adhesion of crude oil on a variety of mineral surfaces (related to sand and sediment) will be characterized, and these findings will be analyzed in terms of surface free energy parameters that can be subsequently used to predict wetting/adhesion behavior in a variety of conditions. (ii) The emulsification of crude oil in the presence of mineral particles, and also in the presence of mineral particles and molecular surfactants, will be studied (seeking synergisms), and the results will be analyzed so as to evaluate the efficacy of natural, mineral particle based dispersants.In order to address the issue of variability in nature, conditions will be varied systematically, and model compounds (API standards) and specimens collected from the Gulf area will be tested. The single drop methodology will facilitate rapid testing to handle the natural variability in crude oils.Intellectual Merit and NoveltyThis project will contribute to the fundamental knowledge (currently lacking in the published literature) on interactions between crude oil and dispersants (as a formulation and as its individual components), and on interactions between crude oil and mineral particles. This work will expand the current options by exploring the suitability of alternative carrier solvents (e.g., food grade, alternative surfactants (e.g., alkyl glucosides), and mineral particles as surface active agents. The connection between the EPA flask dispersion test and a newly developed single drop dispersion methodology could enable high throughout screening of dispersants, paving the way for rapid reformulation of dispersants in response to a given oil spill. The development of novel mineral particle based oil dispersants provides an opportunity to use natural ingredients to combat oil spills, and adds to our oil-mineral interactions knowledge needed for coastline remediation.Broader ImpactsOutcomes of the proposed work could aid in an immediate, objective, and independent evaluation of the current situation as it has evolved in the water (oil dispersion) and at the coastline (oil deposition on minerals), will inform decisions on what types and quantities of dispersants are appropriate to use, as well as decisions on how to treat shorelines and biosurfaces in order to remove residual oil. The work will be carried out by academic researchers who have no conflict of interest with oil companies and will openly share their data. Several graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in research, including members of groups underrepresented in science and engineering. Chemical Engineering juniors and seniors will complete course projects related to this topic.