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

原油的快速附着以及沙滩和沼泽地的可洗性：护堤和分散剂的影响

• 批准号: 1052697
• 负责人: Ponisseril Somasundaran
• 金额: $ 5.04万
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1052697&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Attachment; crude; oil; washability

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.

1052697Somasundaran 研究人员将评估更环保、纳米级、基于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问题。浸泡在海滩沙子和沼泽地中的石油已经对生态系统产生了巨大影响。此外，这些问题多年来一直存在，而且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。我们的方法将利用生物表面活性剂来研究粗液滴在不受剪切影响的情况下的溶解情况。同样重要的是从海滩沙子和沼泽地中去除溶解的油，同时尽量减少对这些地区的干扰。首先，为了在实验室中模拟从海滩沙子中去除石油的过程，这项工作将包括量化透明多孔介质包中多个多相系统中的聚结、反应和传输。此外，我们将使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，可以对沼泽地中的溶解油进行处理，使其在水中形成单独的相并被去除。为了探索这个想法，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 值和盐度等条件来获得所需的分离。对于长期解决方案，PI 将探索微生物与石油的相互作用来降解石油。尽管上述所有程序均适用，但石油已在沼泽地的水中和周围形成了厚厚的层和污垢。 PI 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-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，拟议的通过填充床的运输研究应该对附着机制以及油通过复杂多孔系统流动时润湿性的变化产生基本的了解。 更广泛的影响：随着全球对表面活性剂的毒性和生物降解性差的日益关注/聚合物在工业中的应用，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。对此类绿色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。结构特性评估的研究成果将为根据分子结构评估试剂的绿色度提供有价值的见解。拟议研究的多学科主题将吸引来自不同群体的优秀学生。