Dispersion of crude oil in seawater: The role of synthetic surfactants

Measurement of Interfacial Tension in Hydrocarbon/Water/Dispersant Systems at Deepwater Conditions

“…Because of this amphipathic nature, a surfactant molecule will reside at the oil/water interface and tend to reduce the oil/water interfacial tension. Surfactants used in dispersant formulations can be classified according to the nature of their hydrophilic head group [Wells et al, 1985;Brochu et al, 1986;Fingas et al, 1990 Modern chemical dispersants contain two or more surfactant molecules that have different solubilities in both water and oil characterized by the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB). The HLB is a coding scale that ranges from 0 to 20 for nonionic surfactants and takes into account the chemical structure of the surfactant molecule.…”

“…The complete shape of the interface curve can then be defined by the simultaneous integration of Equations (10), (11) and (12), all functions of the arc-length, s, with the following boundary conditions:…”

Crude oil bioremediation in sub-Antarctic intertidal sediments: chemistry and toxicity of oiled residues

“…Non-ionic surfactants with a high affinity for oil (low to moderate HLB) are efficient to disperse crude oil in seawater (Brochu, Pelletier, Caron, & Desnoyers, 1986) and thus increasing the oil/water interface easily colonised by bacterial community. Cationic surfactants such as aryl sulfosuccinates are usually much less efficient to form stable oil-in-water emulsion (Brochu et al, 1986) which could explain the poorer results obtained with F2 which has the highest amounts of N and P added.…”

“…Non-ionic surfactants with a high affinity for oil (low to moderate HLB) are efficient to disperse crude oil in seawater (Brochu, Pelletier, Caron, & Desnoyers, 1986) and thus increasing the oil/water interface easily colonised by bacterial community. Cationic surfactants such as aryl sulfosuccinates are usually much less efficient to form stable oil-in-water emulsion (Brochu et al, 1986) which could explain the poorer results obtained with F2 which has the highest amounts of N and P added. The enrichment in organic nitrogen and inorganic phophorus might be a governing factor for the fertilizers efficiency but other factors such as the low bioavailability of the carbon content, and the presence of an appropriate and efficient surfactant should contribute to the success of a fertilization formula.…”

The Role of Dispersants in Oil Spill Remediation: Fundamental Concepts, Rationale for Use, Fate, and Transport Issues

“…The turbulence generated by fluid dynamics of such jets is sufficient to cause mixing and to break oil globules into smaller droplets. Effectiveness of the dispersant depends strongly on its surfactant composition (Brochu et al, 1986;Brandvik et al 1998;Riehm and McCormick, 2014), with the optimal mixture of Tween, Span, and DOSS needed for maximum effectiveness defined as accomplishing the greatest reduction in oil-water interfacial tension. Blending surfactants, which each have different hydrophilic-lipophilic-balance (HLB) values, results in an interfacial tension less than 10 -3 mN m -1 , much lower than the interfacial tension achieved using the components of Corexit 9500 individually.…”