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

[52697] somasundaran调查人员将评估更环保的、纳米级的、基于生物表面活性剂的解决方案，以解决石油扩散问题，并清理海岸和沼泽地的泄漏物。浸透在沙滩和沼泽地的石油已经极大地影响了生态系统。此外，这些问题已经持续了好几年，环保的解决方案仍然缺乏。因此，迫切需要开发更环保的解决方案来保护生态系统。我们的方法是利用生物表面活性剂来研究不受剪切影响的原油液滴的增溶作用。在对该地区造成最小干扰的情况下，从沙滩和沼泽地去除溶解的石油也很重要。首先，在实验室建立沙滩上的石油去除模型，这项工作将包括量化透明多孔介质包中几个多相系统的聚结、反应和运输。此外，我们将用生物表面活性剂处理沙滩，然后使用浮选或水力旋流器分离石油。其次，沼泽中溶解的油可以经过处理，在水中形成一个单独的相，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油的流变特性，并通过控制pH和盐度等条件来获得所需的分离。对于长期解决方案，pi将探索微生物与石油的相互作用，以降解石油。尽管上述所有程序都是适用的，但在沼泽地的水中和周围，石油已经形成了一层厚厚的原油。pi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油的技术。知识价值：该项目将提供对各种绿色生物表面活性剂在石油溶解中的结构-性能关系的基本理解。基本方面将涉及到官能团的空间排列，碳链长度的影响和绿色表面活性剂的生物降解性。此外，对充填床输运的研究将对石油在复杂多孔系统中的吸附机制和由此产生的润湿性变化产生根本性的见解。更广泛的影响：随着全球对工业中使用的表面活性剂/聚合物的毒性和生物降解性差的关注日益增加，最近的焦点是更环保的生物表面活性剂/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。结构性质评价方面的研究成果将为基于分子结构评价试剂的绿色提供有价值的见解。该研究的多学科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.