Photochemistry of Petroleum from the Deepwater Horizon: Products, Mechanisms, and Toxicity

美国国家科学基金会化学部的环境化学科学项目支持新奥尔良大学的马修·塔尔教授研究阳光、光氧化剂颗粒和分散剂对海水中原油的影响，在不同的环境相关条件下使用各种分析方法。这项工作的目标是了解深水地平线石油的光化学转化作为辐射时间，分散剂加载，以及光催化剂的存在或不存在的函数。这项工作将有助于了解深水地平线泄漏石油的命运，提高用于准备未来泄漏的不同模型的预测能力，并提供更全面的了解影响海洋系统中原油的光化学过程。这项研究的更广泛影响集中在学习的社会效益，在分子水平上，原油在暴露于盐水中存在的苛刻条件和光照后的命运。钻井内的原油在黑暗中保存了数百万年，在泄漏后几乎立即到达海洋表面时，其化学成分就非常不同。这项研究将提供有关石油一般成分变化的详细信息，以及在太阳可见光和紫外线激发后主要成分结构的具体变化。这项工作对于我们理解和预防深水地平线等水上石油泄漏造成的环境损害至关重要。塔尔教授的研究小组将积极参与高中学生和教师，包括代表性不足的群体，在这个研究计划。

The Environmental Chemical Sciences Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation supports Professor Matthew Tarr of the University of New Orleans to study the effects of sunlight, photooxidant particles, and dispersants on crude oil in seawater, using a variety of analytical methods under different, environmentally relevant conditions. The goal of this work is to understand the photochemical transformation of Deepwater Horizon oil as a function of irradiation time, dispersant loading, and the presence or absence of photocatalysts. This work will help to understand the fate of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, improve the predictive power of different models used in preparing for future spills, and provide greater overall insight into the photochemical processes affecting crude oil in marine systems.Broader impacts of this research are centered in the societal benefit of learning, at the molecular level, the fate of crude oil after exposure to the harsh conditions present in salt water with light exposure. Crude oil inside a bore well, which has been preserved for millions of years in the dark, has a very different chemical composition almost immediately upon reaching the surface of the ocean after a spill. This research will provide detailed information about the changes in the general composition of the oil as well as specific changes to the structures of the major components that take place after excitation from visible and ultra-violet light from the sun. This work is critical to our understanding and prevention of environmental damage from aquatic oil spills such as Deepwater Horizon. Professor Tarr's research group will actively engage high school students and teachers, including underrepresented groups, in this research program.