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Low JY, Khe CS, Usman F, Hassan YM, Lai CW, You KY, Lim JW, Khoo KS. Review on demulsification techniques for oil/water emulsion: Comparison of recyclable and irretrievable approaches. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 243:117840. [PMID: 38081342 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Since the establishment of the first global refinery in 1856, crude oil has remained one of the most lucrative natural resources worldwide. However, during the extraction process from reservoirs, crude oil gets contaminated with sediments, water, and other impurities. The presence of pressure, shear forces, and surface-active compounds in crude oil leads to the formation of unwanted oil/water emulsions. These emulsions can take the form of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, where water droplets disperse continuously in crude oil, or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, where crude oil droplets are suspended in water. To prevent the spread of water and inorganic salts, these emulsions need to be treated and eliminated. In existing literature, different demulsification procedures have shown varying outcomes in effectively treating oil/water emulsions. The observed discrepancies have been attributed to various factors such as temperature, salinity, pH, droplet size, and emulsifier concentrations. It is crucial to identify the most effective demulsification approach for oil/water separation while adhering to environmental regulations and minimizing costs for the petroleum sector. Therefore, this study aims to explore and review recent advancements in two popular demulsification techniques: chemical demulsification and magnetic nanoparticles-based (MNP) demulsification. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are assessed, with the magnetic approach emerging as the most promising due to its desirable efficiency and compliance with environmental and economic concerns. The findings of this report are expected to have a significant impact on the overall process of separating oil and water, benefiting the oil and gas industry, as well as other relevant sectors in achieving the circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joo Yee Low
- Department of Science and Technology Studies, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603, Wilayah Persekutuan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Cheng Seong Khe
- Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia.
| | - Fahad Usman
- Centre for Advanced Industrial Technology, University of Malaysia Pahang, Pekan Campus, 26600, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia; Department of Physics, Al-Qalam University Katsina, PMB 2137, Katsina, Katsina, Nigeria
| | - Yarima Mudassir Hassan
- Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak, Malaysia
| | - Chin Wei Lai
- Nanotechnology & Catalysis Research Centre (NANOCAT), Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Kok Yeow You
- School of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Jun Wei Lim
- HICoE-Centre for Biofuel and Biochemical Research, Institute of Self-Sustainable Building, Department of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 32610, Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia; Department of Biotechnology, Saveetha School of Engineering, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, 602105, India
| | - Kuan Shiong Khoo
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Centre for Herbal Pharmacology and Environmental Sustainability, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, 603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Xie X, Yan J, Wu Q, Wang T, Chu F, Yang S. Rapid and efficient oil removal from O/W emulsions by hydrophobic porous polystyrene microspheres embedded with hydrophilic surface micro-regions. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 434:128898. [PMID: 35460994 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by Namib Desert beetle's back which is patterned with different wetting properties, hydrophobic porous polystyrene microspheres embedded with hydrophilic surface micro-regions (HPHs) were designed and fabricated by the radical copolymerization in the W1/O/W2 double Pickering emulsions with high internal water phase. The synergistic effect of the hydrophobic surface and the hydrophilic surface micro-regions results in HPHs exhibiting superior performances for separating both surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized O/W emulsions. After 60 s hand-shaking, the oil was absorbed and stored within HPHs which could be separated from the water using a 600-mesh sieve, and the TOC values of purified water could be reduced to 2.06 ± 0.06-67.38 ± 2.02 ppm when the initial oil content was 1 vol%. Meanwhile, HPHs could be recovered and reused through a simple treatment. The excellent oil removal efficiency was kept even after 50 cycles. High oil removal efficiency, general applicability, easy operation and excellent recyclability endow HPHs with great potential for practical applications. And this work provides a facile and general way to prepare porous polymer microspheres with wettability contrast surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomin Xie
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Jingfan Yan
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Fumin Chu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China
| | - Sen Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, PR China.
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Yue R, An C, Ye Z, Bi H, Chen Z, Liu X, Zhang X, Lee K. Cleanup of oiled shorelines using a dual responsive nanoclay/sodium alginate surface washing agent. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 205:112531. [PMID: 34906587 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.112531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Oil spills may affect ecosystems and endanger public health. In this study, we developed a novel and dual responsive nanoclay/sodium alginate (NS) washing fluid, and systematically evaluated its application potential in oiled shoreline cleanup. The characterization results demonstrated that sodium alginate combined with nanoclay via hydrogen bonds, and was inserted into the interlayer spacing of nanoclay. Adding sodium alginate reduced surface and interfacial tensions, while increasing the viscoelasticity of the washing fluid. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate oil removal performance under various conditions. Additionally, the factorial design analysis showed that three single factors (temperature, oil concentration, and salinity), and two interactive effects (temperature/salinity; and oil concentration/HA) displayed significant effects on the oil removal efficiency of the NS washing fluid. Compared to the commercial surfactants, the NS composite exhibited satisfactory removal efficiencies for treating oily sand. Green materials-stabilized Pickering emulsion can potentially be used for oil/water separation. The NS washing agent displayed excellent pH- and Ca2+- responsiveness, generating transparent supernatants with low oil concentration and turbidity. Our work opens an interesting avenue for designing economical, high performance, and green washing agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rengyu Yue
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Chunjiang An
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada.
| | - Zhibin Ye
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Huifang Bi
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Zhikun Chen
- Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Xudong Liu
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Ximeng Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Ecosystem Science, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 200 Kent Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1C 0E6, Canada
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Faisal W, Almomani F. A critical review of the development and demulsification processes applied for oil recovery from oil in water emulsions. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 291:133099. [PMID: 34848221 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.133099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The formation of stable emulsions is a fundamental problem in oil industry that can result in a sequence of environmental and operational problems. Chemical demulsification is extensively applied for the recovery of oil from water as well as water from oil. This review introduces different chemical demulsifiers applied for the demulsification and recovery of oil from oil in water (O/W) emulsions. Main types of surfactants (anionic, cationic, nonionics and amphoteric) involved in the formation of emulsions and enhances their stability were discussed. Promising demulsifiers such as nanoparticle (NP), hyperbranched polymers, and ionic liquids (IL), which achieved high oil recovery rate, parameters influencing demulsification efficiency and demulsification mechanisms were explored. Lastly, improvements, challenges, and new changes being made to chemical demulsifiers were underlined. Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles and hyperbranched polymers were very effective in recovering oil from O/W emulsions with an efficiency >95%. Polymers with highly hydrophilic content and high molecular weight can achieve excellent oil recovery rates due to higher interfacial activity, higher dispersion, and presence of specific functional groups. Although ionic liquids could achieve oil recovery up to 90%, high cost limits their applications. NPs showed excellent oil recovery behavior at low concentrations and ambient temperature. Demulsification efficiency of NPs can be enhanced by functionalize with other components (e.g., polymers and surfactants), while service life can be extend by silica coating. Future challenges include scaling up the use of NPs in oil recovery process and highlighting contrasts between lab-scale and field-scale applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wamda Faisal
- College of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha, Qatar
| | - Fares Almomani
- College of Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha, Qatar.
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