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

1052697 Somasundaran调查人员将评估更环保的纳米级生物表面活性剂解决方案，以解决海岸和沼泽地的石油扩散和清理泄漏问题。浸泡在海滩沙地和沼泽地中的石油已经严重影响了生态系统。此外，这些问题持续了好几年，仍然缺乏对环境无害的解决方案。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来研究不受剪切影响的粗液滴的增溶。同样重要的是，要在尽量减少对这些地区的干扰的情况下，从海滩砂和沼泽地中清除溶解的石油。首先，在实验室中建立了从海滩砂中去除油的模型，这项工作将包括量化透明多孔介质填充物中几个多相系统中的聚结、反应和传输。此外，我们还将用生物表面活性剂处理海滩砂，然后用浮选或水力旋流器分离油。第二，沼泽地中溶解的油可以被处理以在水中形成单独的相并被去除。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油的流变特性，并通过操纵pH值和盐度等条件来获得所需的分离。对于长期解决方案，PI将探索微生物与油的相互作用以降解油。虽然上述所有程序都适用，但在沼泽地的水中和周围，石油已经形成了厚厚的一层和污垢。研究员将评估通过浮选和使用疏水性纤维等各种技术机械去除此类油的技术。智力优势：该项目将提供对各种绿色生物表面活性剂在油溶解中的结构与性质关系的基本理解。基本的方面将涉及到空间排列的功能团，碳链长度和生物降解性的绿色表面活性剂的影响。此外，拟议的研究通过填充床运输应产生基本的洞察机制的附件和由此产生的变化，在流动的油通过复杂的多孔systems.Broader影响：随着全球日益关注的毒性和不良的生物降解性的表面活性剂/聚合物中使用的工业，最近的重点一直在应用更环保的生物表面活性剂/生物聚合物。对这种更环保的试剂感兴趣的各个行业包括矿物加工、替代能源、个人护理、食品工业和石油工业。结构性能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优秀学生。

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.