A Novel Biosurfactant-Based Oil Spill Response Dispersant for Efficient Application under Temperate and Arctic Conditions

Abstract

Synthetic oil spill dispersants have become essential in offshore oil spill response strategies. However, their use raises significant concerns regarding toxicity to phyto-and zooplankton and other marine organisms, especially in isolated and vulnerable areas such as the Arctic and shorelines. Sustainable alternatives may be developed by replacing the major active components of commercial dispersants with their natural counterparts. During this study, interfacial properties of different types of glycolipid-based biosurfactants (rhamnolipids, mannosylerythritol lipids, and trehalose lipids) were explored in a crude oil−seawater system. The best-performing biosurfactant was further mixed with different nontoxic components of Corexit 9500A, and the interfacial properties of the most promising dispersant blend were further explored with various types of crude oils, weathered oil, bunker, and diesel fuel in natural seawater. Our findings indicate that the most efficient dispersant formulation was achieved when mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) were mixed with Tween 80 (T). The MELs−T dispersant blend significantly reduced the interfacial tension (IFT) of various crude oils in seawater with results comparable to those obtained with Corexit 9500A. Importantly, no leaching or desorption of MELs−T components from the crude oil−water interface was observed. Furthermore, for weathered and more viscous asphaltenic bunker fuel oil, IFT results with the MELs−T dispersant blend surpassed those obtained with Corexit 9500A. This dispersant blend also demonstrated effectiveness at different dosages (dispersant-to-oil ratio (DOR)) and under various temperature conditions. The efficacy of the MELs−T dispersant was further confirmed by standard baffled flask tests (BFTs) and Mackay−Nadeau−Steelman (MNS) tests. Overall, our study provides promising data for the development of effective biobased dispersants, particularly in the context of petroleum exploitation in subsea resources and transportation in the Arctic.

Unlocking the Potential of Mannosylerythritol Lipids: Properties and Industrial Applications

“…Applications on the field of bioremediation were proposed based mainly on MELs capacity to interact with specific pollutant molecules. MELs interact positively with hydrocarbons, creating emulsions and making them more bioavailable for hydrocarbon-consuming microorganisms to biodegrade the oils, this effect was observed with n-alkanes, kerosene, diesel, petrol and light crude oil [24,63,64,84] More recently, a formulation for an oil spill dispersant, comprising MELs, was developed [65]. This formulation exhibits excellent interfacial properties and dispersibility effectiveness under different mechanical energy and temperature conditions, comparable to those of commercial chemical dispersants.…”

Unlocking the Potential of Mannosylerythritol Lipids: Properties and Industrial Applications

“…NA MEL mixture [70][71][72] ■ Patent using MELs as petroleum demulsifier agents NA [73] Biodegradtion control ■ Biodegradation of an agricultural biodegradable plastic composed of poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) by cutinase-like esterases and microorganisms was inhibited by MELs.…”

“…MELs interact positively with hydrocarbons, creating emulsions and making them more bioavailable for hydrocarbonconsuming microorganisms to biodegrade the oils; this effect was observed with n-alkanes, kerosene, diesel, petrol and light crude oil [27,70,71,94]. More recently, a formulation for an oil spill dispersant comprising MELs was developed [72]. This formulation exhibits excellent interfacial properties and dispersibility effectiveness under different mechanical energy and temperature conditions, comparable to those of commercial chemical dispersants.…”