RAPID-Attachment of crude oil and washability of sand beaches and marsh lands: effects of berms and dispersants

1052697 Somasundaran调查人员将评估基于更绿色、纳米尺度的生物表面活性剂的解决方案，以解决石油扩散和清理海岸和沼泽地泄漏的问题。浸泡在海滩沙地和沼泽地中的石油已经极大地影响了生态系统。此外，这些问题持续了几年，仍然缺乏环境友好的解决方案。因此，迫切需要开发更绿色的解决方案来保护生态系统。我们的方法将是利用生物表面活性剂在不受剪切影响的情况下研究原油液滴的增溶作用。同样重要的是，在尽量减少对该地区的干扰的情况下，清除海滩沙地和沼泽地中的溶解油类。首先，为了在实验室中模拟海滩沙子中的石油去除，这项工作将包括在透明多孔介质包中量化几个多相系统中的聚合、反应和传输。此外，我们将用生物表面活性剂处理海滩沙子，然后使用浮选或水力旋流器分离石油。其次，沼泽地中溶解的石油可以在水中形成单独的相，然后被去除。为了探索这一想法，研究人员将确定使用生物聚合物溶解的石油的流变性，并通过控制pH值和盐度等条件来获得所需的分离。对于长期解决方案，PIs将探索微生物与石油的相互作用，以降解石油。尽管上述所有步骤都适用，但在沼泽地，石油已经形成了厚厚的一层，并在水中和周围结垢。PIS将评估通过浮选和使用疏水纤维等各种技术机械去除此类石油的技术。智力优势：该项目将提供对各种更绿色的生物表面活性剂在石油增溶过程中结构与性能关系的基本了解。基本方面将涉及官能团的空间排列、碳链长度的影响以及绿色表面活性剂的生物降解性。此外，拟议的填充床传输研究应能从根本上深入了解石油在复杂多孔系统中流动时的附着机制和由此产生的润湿性变化。广泛影响：随着全球对工业中使用的表面活性剂/聚合物的毒性和较差的生物降解性日益关注，最近的重点是更绿色生物表面活性剂/生物聚合物的应用。对这种绿色试剂感兴趣的各个部门包括矿物加工、替代能源、个人护理、食品工业和石油工业。结构性质评价的研究成果将为基于分子结构评价试剂的绿色性提供有价值的见解。拟议研究的多学科主题将吸引来自不同群体的有才华的学生。

1052697SomasundaranThe investigators will evaluate greener, nano-scale, bio-surfactants based solutions to the problems of spreading of oil and cleaning of the spill from the shore and Marsh lands. Oil soaked in beach sands and marsh lands has already affected the ecosystem dramatically. Besides, the issues persist for several years and environmentally benign solutions are still lacking. Thus an urgent need is to develop greener solutions to preserve the ecosystem. Our approach will be utilization of bio-surfactants to study the solubilization of crude droplets without the influence of shear. It is also important to remove the solubilized oil from beach sands and marsh lands with minimum disturbance to the areas. First, to model the removal of oil from beach sand in a laboratory set up, the work will include quantifying coalescence, reaction and transport in several multiphase systems in transparent porous media pack. Furthermore we will treat beach sand with bio-surfactants followed by separation of oil using flotation or hydrocyclones. Second, solubilized oil in marsh lands can be treated to form a separate phase over water and be removed. To explore this idea, the investigators will determine rheological properties of oil solubilized using biopolymers and also by manipulating conditions such as pH, and salinity to obtain desired separation. For long term solution, the PIs will explore microbial-oil interactions to degrade oil. Though all the above mentioned procedures are applicable, the oil has formed a thick layer and cruds in and around the water in Marsh lands. The PIs will evaluate technologies to mechanically remove such oil by various techniques as flotation and using hydrophobic fibers.Intellectual Merit: The project will provide fundamental understanding of the structure-property relationships of various greener bio-surfactants in oil solubilization. Fundamental aspects will relate to spatial arrangement of functional groups, effect of carbon chain length and biodegradability of the greener surfactants. Further, the proposed study of transport through packed bed should yield fundamental insight into the mechanisms of attachment and resultant changes in wettability on the flow of the oil through complex porous systems.Broader Impact: With growing global concern over the toxicity and poor biodegradability of surfactants/polymers used in of industries, recent focus has been on application of greener bio-surfactants/biopolymers. Various sectors interested in such greener reagents range from mineral processing, alternative energy, personal care, food industries, and petroleum industries. The research findings on structure property evaluation should provide valuable insight in evaluating reagents for their greenness based on the structure of the molecules. The multidisciplinary subject of the proposed research will attract talented students from diverse groups.