RAPID for Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: Interactions of Crude Oil with Dispersants and Naturally Occurring Particles

墨西哥湾漏油事件的 RAPID：原油与分散剂和自然产生的颗粒的相互作用

• 批准号: 1049395
• 负责人: Marina Tsianou
• 金额: $ 6.9万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Buffalo
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2012-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1049395&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Gulf; Mexico; Oil; Spill

1049395TsianouMotivation The worst oil spill in US history is getting worse every single day: about 1.5 million gallons of crude oil are being spewed each day into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the BP/Deepwater Horizon accident. Over 1 million gallons of chemical dispersants have been used in an effort to break up the oil spill, a huge amount that causes concerns for the wildlife and humans exposed to it. It is clear that the oil clean up efforts will be intense, and the environmental impact will be persistent. There is an urgent need for fundamental information on oil dispersant interactions that would facilitate the reformulation of dispersants so as to render them safer toward wildlife and human health. Also, a need for fundamental information on interactions between crude oil and mineral particles.Proposed ResearchIn response to the oil spill crisis, the PI proposes to (1) advance methodologies that facilitate the reformulation of currently used dispersants, so as to reduce/replace hazardous ingredients, and (2)develop oil dispersants based on mineral particles that will have low impact on the environment. (1) Oil and dispersant will be brought into contact in a controlled, aqueous environment at a scale of (i) an individual oil drop (novel set-up) and (ii) large populations of drops (current EPA test), and the information obtained from the two setups will be analyzed/synthesized in order to (a) generate dataon oil-surfactant interactions at the molecular/nanoscale level, (b) resolve the contribution to the dispersion of the individual components f the disper-sant, and (c) facilitate the optimization of dispersant formulation through the use of the single-drop methodology that will be developed here. (2)(i) The wetting and adhesion of crude oil on a variety of mineral surfaces (related to sand and sediment) will be characterized, and these findings will be analyzed in terms of surface free energy parameters that can be subsequently used to predict wetting/adhesion behavior in a variety of conditions. (ii) The emulsification of crude oil in the presence of mineral particles, and also in the presence of mineral particles and molecular surfactants, will be studied (seeking synergisms), and the results will be analyzed so as to evaluate the efficacy of natural, mineral particle based dispersants.In order to address the issue of variability in nature, conditions will be varied systematically, and model compounds (API standards) and specimens collected from the Gulf area will be tested. The single drop methodology will facilitate rapid testing to handle the natural variability in crude oils.Intellectual Merit and NoveltyThis project will contribute to the fundamental knowledge (currently lacking in the published literature) on interactions between crude oil and dispersants (as a formulation and as its individual components), and on interactions between crude oil and mineral particles. This work will expand the current options by exploring the suitability of alternative carrier solvents (e.g., food grade, alternative surfactants (e.g., alkyl glucosides), and mineral particles as surface active agents. The connection between the EPA flask dispersion test and a newly developed single drop dispersion methodology could enable high throughout screening of dispersants, paving the way for rapid reformulation of dispersants in response to a given oil spill. The development of novel mineral particle based oil dispersants provides an opportunity to use natural ingredients to combat oil spills, and adds to our oil-mineral interactions knowledge needed for coastline remediation.Broader ImpactsOutcomes of the proposed work could aid in an immediate, objective, and independent evaluation of the current situation as it has evolved in the water (oil dispersion) and at the coastline (oil deposition on minerals), will inform decisions on what types and quantities of dispersants are appropriate to use, as well as decisions on how to treat shorelines and biosurfaces in order to remove residual oil. The work will be carried out by academic researchers who have no conflict of interest with oil companies and will openly share their data. Several graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in research, including members of groups underrepresented in science and engineering. Chemical Engineering juniors and seniors will complete course projects related to this topic.

1049395TsianouMotivation 美国历史上最严重的漏油事件每天都在恶化：由于 BP/深水地平线事故，每天约有 150 万加仑原油涌入墨西哥湾。为了阻止石油泄漏，已经使用了超过 100 万加仑的化学分散剂，数量之大引起了对接触石油泄漏的野生动物和人类的担忧。显然，石油清理工作将会非常激烈，对环境的影响也将是持久的。迫切需要有关油分散剂相互作用的基本信息，以促进分散剂的重新配制，从而使它们对野生动物和人类健康更安全。此外，还需要有关原油和矿物颗粒之间相互作用的基本信息。拟议的研究为了应对石油泄漏危机，PI 建议 (1) 推进有助于重新配制当前使用的分散剂的方法，以减少/替代危险物质(2)开发基于矿物颗粒的对环境影响较小的油分散剂。 (1) 油和分散剂将在受控水性环境中以 (i) 单个油滴（新颖设置）和 (ii) 大量油滴（当前 EPA 测试）的规模接触，并且将分析/综合从这两种设置获得的信息，以便（a）生成分子/纳米级水平的油-表面活性剂相互作用的数据，（b）解决分散剂中各个组分对分散的贡献，以及(c) 通过使用将在此开发的单滴方法，促进分散剂配方的优化。 (2)(i) 将表征原油在各种矿物表面（与沙子和沉积物有关）上的润湿和粘附，并将根据表面自由能参数对这些发现进行分析，随后可用于预测各种条件下的润湿/粘附行为。 (ii) 将研究原油在矿物颗粒存在下以及矿物颗粒和分子表面活性剂存在下的乳化（寻求协同作用），并对结果进行分析，以评估天然、基于矿物颗粒的分散剂。为了解决自然变化的问题，将系统地改变条件，并对模型化合物（API 标准）和从海湾地区收集的样本进行测试。单滴方法将有助于快速测试以处理原油的自然变化。智力优点和新颖性该项目将有助于了解原油和分散剂（作为配方及其单个成分），以及原油和矿物颗粒之间的相互作用。这项工作将通过探索替代载体溶剂（例如食品级、替代表面活性剂（例如烷基糖苷）和矿物颗粒作为表面活性剂的适用性）来扩展当前的选择。EPA 烧瓶分散测试与新开发的单滴分散方法可以实现分散剂的高通量筛选，为针对特定石油泄漏快速重新配制分散剂铺平道路基于新型矿物颗粒的石油分散剂的开发提供了使用天然的机会。更广泛的影响 拟议工作的结果可以帮助立即、客观和独立地评估目前在水中演变的情况（石油分散剂）和海岸线（矿物上的石油沉积）将有助于决定适合使用何种类型和数量的分散剂，以及决定如何处理海岸线和生物表面以去除残余石油。 这项工作将由与石油公司没有利益冲突的学术研究人员进行，并将公开分享他们的数据。一些研究生和本科生将参与研究，其中包括科学和工程领域代表性不足的团体的成员。 化学工程大三和大四学生将完成与该主题相关的课程项目。