Preparation of finely dispersed O/W emulsion from fatty acid solubilized in subcritical water

A novel method for preparing a finely dispersed oil-in-water emulsion is proposed. Octanoic acid dissolved in water at a high temperature of 220 or 230 degrees C at 15 MPa was combined with an aqueous solution of a surfactant and then the mixture was cooled. When a nonionic surfactant, decaglycerol monolaurate (ML-750) or polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), was used, fine emulsions with a median oil droplet diameter of 100 nm or less were successfully prepared at ML-750 and Tween 20 concentrations of 0.083% (w/v) and 0.042%, respectively, or higher. The diameters were much smaller than those of oil droplets prepared by the conventional homogenization method using a rotor/stator homogenizer. However, an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, was not adequate for the preparation of such fine emulsions by the proposed method. Although the interfacial tensions between octanoic acid and the surfactant solutions were measured at different temperatures, they were not an indication for selecting a surfactant for the successful preparation of the fine emulsion by the proposed method.     

Determination of wear metals in lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry

A simple, rapid and reliable method was developed for the determination of copper, nickel, iron and lead in fresh and used lubricating oil samples by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). In the present study, a mixture of organic solvents containing propionic acid and iso-butylmethyl ketone (1: 1) was used to extract the metals from lubricating oil samples followed by FAAS analysis. Aqueous standard solutions can be easily employed with the proposed mixed solvent system instead of organometallic standards. The analytical results obtained by employing the proposed solvent extraction system were found to be in good agreement with the results for aqueous media obtained after the destruction of oil samples matrix. Percentage recovery studies showed 88–98% for Cu, 92–95% for Fe, 96–106% for Ni and 84–100% for Pb with relative standard deviation of 2–6%. The developed method was effectively applied to routine determination of Cu, Ni, Fe, and Pb in lubricating oil samples.     

The determination of wear metals in used lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using sulphanilic acid as ashing agent

A simple and reliable ashing procedure is proposed for the preparation of used lubricating oil samples for the determination of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, chromium and nickel by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Sulphanilic acid was added to oil samples and the mixture coked and the coke ashed at 550 degrees C. The solutions of the ash were analysed by flame AAS for the metals. The release of calcium, zinc, iron and chromium was improved by the addition of sulphanilic acid to samples. The relative standard deviations of metal concentration results in the initial oil samples were 1.5% for Ca (1500 mg l(-1) level), 0.3% for Mg (100 mg l(-1) level), 3.1% for Zn (1500 mg l(-1) level), 0.7% for Fe (500 mg l(-1) level), 0.02% for Cr (50 mg l(-1) level) and 0.002% for Ni (10 mg l(-1) level). The optimum sample size for efficient metal release was 20 g while the optimum sulphanilic acid to oil ratio was 0.05 g per gram of oil for Zn and Cr and 0.10 g for Ca and Fe. Results obtained by this procedure were highly reproducible and comparable with those obtained for the same samples using standard procedures.     

Potentiometric Stripping Analysis for Simultaneous Determination of Copper and Lead in Lubricating Oils After Total Digestion in a Focused Microwave-Assisted Oven

The determination of metals in lubricating oil has been used as an important means of preventing components failures, to provide environmental information, and to solve criminal issues. In this study derivative potentiometric stripping analysis (DPSA) was used for the simultaneous determination of copper and lead in lubricating oils of vehicular engines. The samples were completely digested in a focused microwave-assisted oven using a powerful oxidant mixture (HNO₃, H₂SO₄, H₂O₂). The optimized heating program to digest about 1mL of lubricating oil takes 45minutes. The residual carbon content after digestion was below 0.3%m/m for all samples. Copper and lead were also determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), and the results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained by electrochemical measurements. Recoveries of 94–109 and 93–103%, for copper and lead, respectively, were obtained for new and used lubricating oil samples.     

Determination of metals in lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry using a single-bore high-pressure pneumatic nebulizer

The behaviour of a single-bore high-pressure pneumatic nebulizer (SBHPPN) as a tool for the analysis of lubricating oils by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was investigated. The effects of the sample oil content [from 10% to 100% (w/w) oil in 4-methylpentan-2-one, IBMK] and the carrier nature (IBMK and methanol) on the characteristics of the aerosols generated, on the analyte transport efficiency and on the analytical figures of merit in FAAS were studied. A pneumatic concentric nebulizer (PCN) was used for comparison. Increasing the oil content increases the viscosity of the sample. With the PCN this gives rise to coarser aerosols, making it impossible to nebulize samples with an oil content higher than 70% (w/w). Using the SBHPPN, the viscosity of the sample scarcely affects the characteristics of the primary aerosols. Hence, the SBHPPN is able, by using the appropriate carrier, to nebulize pure lubricating oils. Among the carriers tested, IBMK is the most advisable because it is fully miscible with all the oil samples. The SBHPPN provides higher sensitivities and lower limits of detection than the PCN. Compared with a method based on organic dilution, the use of the SBHPPN for the direct analysis of lubricating oils by FAAS makes it possible, in addition to increasing the analysis throughput, to detect elements at lower concentrations. Moreover, the SBHPPN provides similar results to those obtained using a previous acid digestion step.     

Biosurfactant production under extreme environmental conditions by an efficient microbial consortium, ERCPPI-2

The biosurfactant production potential of a new microbial consortium of Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas sp. (ERCPPI-2) which was isolated from heavy crude oil-contaminated soil in the south of Iran, has been investigated under extreme environmental conditions. The isolated consortium produces a biosurfactant mixture with excessive oil spreading and emulsification properties. This consortium was able to grow and produce biosurfactant at temperatures up to 70 °C, pressures up to 6000 psia, salinities up to 15% (w/v), and in the pH range 4-10. Besides, the optimum biosurfactant production conditions were found to be 40 °C and 7.0 for the temperature and pH value, respectively. These conditions gave the best biosurfactant production of 1.74 g/1 when the cells were grown on a minimal salt medium containing 1.0% (w/v) olive oil, 1.0% (w/v) sodium nitrate supplemented with 1.39% (w/v) K(2)HPO(4) at 40 °C and 150 rpm after 48 h of incubation. The ERCPPI-2 could reduce surface and interfacial tensions to 31.7 and 0.65 mN/m from the original values of 58.3 and 16.9 mN/m, respectively. The isolated consortium produced biosurfactant using heavy crude oil as the sole source of carbon and emulsified the available heavy crude oil up to E(24)=83.4%. The results of the core holder flooding tests at simulated reservoir conditions demonstrated that the oil recovery efficiency due to the injection of the cell-free biosurfactant solution was 27.2%, and the bacterium injection reduced the final residual oil saturations to below 3% at optimum conditions.     

Determination of aluminum by electrothermal atomic absorption spectroscopy in lubricating oils emulsified in a sequential injection analysis system

The sequential injection (SIA) technique was applied for the on-line preparation of an “oil in water” microemulsion and for the determination of aluminum in new and used lubricating oils by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS) with Zeeman-effect background correction. Respectively, 1.0, 0.5 and 1.0 ml of surfactants mixture, sample and co-surfactant (sec-butanol) solutions were sequentially aspirated to a holding coil. The sonication and repetitive change of the flowing direction improved the stability of the different emulsion types (oil in water, water in oil and microemulsion). The emulsified zone was pumped to fill the sampling arm of the spectrometer with a sub-sample of 200 μl. Then, 10 μl of this sample solution were introduced by means of air displacement in the graphite tube atomizer. This sequence was timed to synchronize with the previous introduction of 15 μg of Mg(NO₃)₂ (in a 10 μl) by the spectrometer autosampler. The entire SIA system was controlled by a computer, independent of the spectrometer. The furnace program was carried out by employing a heating cycle in four steps: drying (two steps at 110 and 130 °C), pyrolisis (at 1500 °C), atomization (at 2400 °C) and cleaning (at 2400 °C). The calibration graph was linear from 7.7 to 120 μg Al l⁻¹. The characteristic mass (mo) was 33.2 pg/0.0044 s and the detection limit was 2.3 μg Al l⁻¹. The relative standard (RSD) of the method, evaluated by replicate analyses of different lubricating oil samples varied in all cases between 1.5 and 1.7%, and the recovery values found in the analysis of spiked samples ranged from 97.2 to 100.4%. The agreement between the observed and reference values obtained from two NIST Standard Certified Materials was good. The method was simple and satisfactory for determining aluminum in new and used lubricating oils.     

Electroanalytical study of diethyl and dibutyl phthalate in micellar and oil-in-water emulsified media

A polarographic study was carried out of the reduction processes of diethyl and dibutyl phthalate in micellar solutions with the cationic surfactant Hyamine 1622, and in an emulsified medium from aliquots of the phthalates dissolved in a diethyl ether: ethyl acetate (1:9) mixture and Hyamine 1622 as emulsifying agent. The characteristics of the reduction processes in both media were established. The number of electrons involved was higher for the base form of the electroactive species. Using dpp at E=–50 mV, the detection limits obtained in the emulsified medium were 6.7×10^–8 and 7.4×10^–7 moll^–1 for diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate, respectively. Interferences between the two phthalates were studied, and the possibility of carrying out the overall determination of both phthalates was demonstrated. Good results were obtained when applying the polarographic method developed in the emulsified medium to determine diethyl phthalate by dpp in spiked milk after extraction of the analyte with diethyl ether: ethyl acetate (1:9).     

Analysis of plant hormones by microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography coupled with on-line large volume sample stacking

A novel method of microemulsion electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEEKC) coupled with on-line large volume sample stacking was developed for the analysis of six plant hormones including indole-3-acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, indole-3-propionic acid, 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, abscisic acid and salicylic acid. Baseline separation of six plant hormones was achieved within 10 min by using the microemulsion background electrolyte containing a 97.2% (w/w) 10 mM borate buffer at pH 9.2, 1.0% (w/w) ethyl acetate as oil droplets, 0.6% (w/w) sodium dodecyl sulphate as surfactant and 1.2% (w/w) 1-butanol as cosurfactant. In addition, an on-line concentration method based on a large volume sample stacking technique and multiple wavelength detection was adopted for improving the detection sensitivity in order to determine trace level hormones in a real sample. The optimal method provided about 50-100 fold increase in detection sensitivity compared with a single MEEKC method, and the detection limits (S/N = 3) were between 0.005 and 0.02 μg mL(-1). The proposed method was simple, rapid and sensitive and could be applied to the determination of six plant hormones in spiked water samples, tobacco leaves and 1-naphthylacetic acid in leaf fertilizer. The recoveries ranged from 76.0% to 119.1%, and good reproducibilities were obtained with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 6.6%.     

Density fractionated hollow silica microspheres with high-yield by non-polymeric sol–gel/emulsion route

Hollow silica microspheres were synthesized by non-polymeric sol–gel/emulsion technique using tetra ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a source of silica. A sol mixture of TEOS, water, ethanol and acid was emulsified in a solution of light paraffin oil and surfactant (Span-80). Calcined spheres were density fractionated between density ranges: <1.0, 1.0–1.594, 1.594–1.74 and >1.74 g cm⁻³. The samples were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and laser diffraction size analyzer. Spheres of densities lower than 1.74 g cm⁻³ were found to be hollow as observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and their yield was maximized to 100% by using a specific TEOS volume ratio with respect to volumes of surfactant and oil. Decreasing the calcination temperature from 700 to 500 °C enhances the yield of hollow spheres emphasizing importance of slower diffusion kinetics at lower calcination temperature. Outer diameters of spheres were between 5 and 60 μm with mean diameter expectedly increasing with increase in TEOS sol volume and with decrease in sphere density. It is proposed that silica shells form via hydrolysis and polycondensation at oil–water/ethanol interface in the water-in-oil emulsion, which subsequently form hollow spheres on removal of water–ethanol during calcination.     

Salt‐Induced Fabrication of Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic PAA‐g‐PVDF Membranes for Effective Separation of Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions

Conventional polymer membranes suffer from low flux and serious fouling when used for treating emulsified oil/water mixtures. Reported herein is the fabrication of a novel superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic poly(acrylic acid)‐grafted PVDF filtration membrane using a salt‐induced phase‐inversion approach. A hierarchical micro/nanoscale structure is constructed on the membrane surface and endows it with a superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic property. The membrane separates both surfactant‐free and surfactant‐stabilized oil‐in‐water emulsions under either a small applied pressure (<0.3 bar) or gravity, with high separation efficiency and high flux, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of commercial filtration membranes having a similar permeation property. The membrane exhibits an excellent antifouling property and is easily recycled for long‐term use. The outstanding performance of the membrane and the efficient, energy and cost‐effective preparation process highlight its potential for practical applications.     

Preparation of insulin-loaded PLA/PLGA microcapsules by a novel membrane emulsification method and its release in vitro

Uniform-sized biodegradable PLA/PLGA microcapsules loading recombinant human insulin (rhI) were successfully prepared by combining a Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG) membrane emulsification technique and a double emulsion-evaporation method. An aqueous phase containing rhI was used as the inner water phase (w1), and PLA/PLGA and Arlacel 83 were dissolved in a mixture solvent of dichloromethane (DCM) and toluene, which was used as the oil phase (o). These two solutions were emulsified by a homogenizer to form a w1/o primary emulsion. The primary emulsion was permeated through the uniform pores of a SPG membrane into an outer water phase by the pressure of nitrogen gas to form the uniform w1/o/w2 droplets. The solid polymer microcapsules were obtained by simply evaporating solvent from droplets. Various factors of the preparation process influencing the drug encapsulation efficiency and the drug cumulative release were investigated systemically. The results indicated that the drug encapsulation efficiency and the cumulative release were affected by the PLA/PLGA ratio, NaCl concentration in outer water phase, the inner water phase volume, rhI-loading amount, pH-value in outer water phase and the size of microcapsules. By optimizing the preparation process, the drug encapsulation efficiency was high up to 91.82%. The unique advantage of preparing drug-loaded microcapsules by membrane emulsification technique is that the size of microcapsules can be controlled accurately, and thus the drug cumulative release profile can be adjusted just by changing the size of microcapsules. Moreover, much higher encapsulation efficiency can be obtained when compared with the conventional mechanical stirring method.     

Evaluation of process conditions and characterization of particle size and stability of oil-in-water nanoemulsions

This article reports on the oil in water (o/w) nanoemulsions, which were prepared using a mixture of solvents (decane, toluene and cyclohexane) as oils and the mixtures of ethoxylated lauryl alcohols with various concentrations as surfactants with HLB values ranged from 10 to 12. The Ultra-Turrax (rotor-stator type) stirring and/or ultrasound processing were applied for varied processing times. The data show that the particle sizes in nanoemulsions prepared with ultrasound were smaller than those produced by stirring. The stability of these emulsions was, however, enhanced, when the mixtures were preliminary processed with the shearing agitator. The most stable nanoemulsions were obtained in 10 wt % surfactant mixture of the alcohols with HLB 11 in the shearing agitator.     

Environmentally friendly lubricating oil candidate

Synthetic lubricating oils based on renewable sources, excluding petroleum, have a great importance among all of the lubricating oil alternatives that are included in the research field about clean and environmentally friendly lubricating oil technologies. One of the environmentally friendly lubricating oils is a vegetable oil-based product. In this study, the esterification product of oleic acid with a fraction of molasses fusel oil as a lubricating oil candidate was determined according to the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard tests. The results indicate that the ester product can be used as an environmental friendly lubricating oil or lubricating oil additive.     

超亲水-水下超疏油PVDF-g-PAA多孔膜的制备及油水分离性能

采用相反转方法制备了丙烯酸(AA)接枝的超亲水-水下超疏油聚偏氟乙烯膜(PVDF-g-PAA),通过加入一定量的聚乙烯吡咯烷酮获得可用于油水分离的多孔聚偏氟乙烯膜.多孔聚偏氟乙烯膜具有较好的抗油污染性能及较高的力学强度,可以快速高效地分离油水混合体系和乳化油水体系,分离性质稳定,多次使用后对油水混合物的分离效率在98%以上,对油水乳化液的分离效率在91%以上,可广泛应用于油水混合体系和乳化油水体系的油水分离.     

Structures in a microemulsion system of an ethoxylated polymethylsiloxane surfactant, water, and oil studied by NMR self-diffusion measurements

Microemulsion samples of an ethoxylated polymethylsiloxane surfactant, water, and 1-dodecanol or 1-decanol as the oil component are investigated using pulsed field gradient NMR to determine the components' self-diffusion coefficients. It is demonstrated that the structure of the liquids depends heavily on their composition, in that, for low water content, the structure is water-in-oil (w/o), gradually changing to a bicontinous structure in a concentration range ca. 40-60 wt % water, and, finally, to an oil-in-water (o/w) structure for more water rich samples. In the water poor samples, the surfactant molecules apparently do not form extended aggregates (inverted micelles). In the water rich samples, the surfactant and oil (if present) form ordinary micelles, and it is demonstrated for the binary water/surfactant system that the micelles are spherical at very low surfactant concentrations and grow into oblate (disk) shaped aggregates at surfactant concentrations above ca. 5 wt %. From density and viscosity measurements of binary mixtures of oil (1-decanol) and surfactant, it is demonstrated that these components form solutions that are not far from ideal.     

Polymer-Enhanced Ultrafiltration of Fe(III) and Cu(II) Aqueous Solutions Using Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Alginic Acid/Cellulose Membranes

This study deals with the removal of Fe(III) and Cu(II) from dilute aqueous solutions using a polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration process. The ultrafiltration studies were carried out in batch stirred cell and the applied pressure was controlled by nitrogen gas. Properties of the composite membranes and its application in metal removal from aqueous solutions were studied. A composite poly(vinyl alcohol)-alginic acid/cellulose membranes were prepared by coating poly(vinyl alcohol)-alginic acid mixture solutions on the filter paper. Poly(vinyl alcohol) and alginic acid were also used as complexing agents to enhance the retention of metal ions. In the filtration of Fe(III) and Cu(II) solutions, the effects of membrane contents, pressure and pH on the retention and the flux were studied. The maximum retention of metals was found as 99% for Fe(III) solution at pressure of 45 psi, pH of 3 in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) as complexing agent by using 0.50 (w/v)% [(75 Poly(vinyl alcohol)/25 Alginic acid) (w/w)]/cellulose composite membranes.     

Effects of a Novel Organic Alkali on the Interfacial Tension and Emulsification Behaviors Between Crude Oil and Water

Experiments have been carried out to investigate the interfacial tension (IFT) and emulsification behaviors between Shengli crude oil and a novel organic alkali (OA). The dynamic IFT and minimum IFT are adopted to characterize the IFT behaviors; the microscopic method, Turbiscan stability index, separated water rate, and laser particle size analysis method are used to show the emulsification behaviors. The dynamic and minimum IFT both decrease continuously with the increase of OA concentration whether surfactant is added or not; because of the synergy of OA and surfactant, the minimum IFT will be reduced to the ultralow value. The synergy is also crucial for the crude oil emulsification. When OA and surfactant are used together, owing to the mosaic and cross-multiple adsorption of OA, surfactant and in situ soap at the interfacial film, the oil can be emulsified more easily, the quantity of emulsified droplets is higher, and the emulsion is more stable with OA concentration increases. The relationship of the minimum IFT and emulsification is investigated; it indicates that the emulsion stability improves, the degree of dispersed homogeneity of oil droplets increases, and the median diameter of emulsified oil droplets decreases with the decline of the minimum IFT.     

Characterization of Cinnamic Acid-Attached Nonionic Amphiphiles in UV Extinction,Emulsification, and In Vitro Toxicity

Cinnamic acid (CA) was covalently attached to nonionic surfactants by condensation reaction. The mass and the molar extinction coefficient of CA residue of each conjugate did not markedly deviate from those of free CA, indicating CA could absorb the UV light after being conjugated to the surfactants. When the concentration of the conjugates in aqueous phase was 0.1% and 1.0%, mineral oil could readily be emulsified by polyoxyehtylene(20) cetyl ether–CA conjugate (CE20–CA), polyoxyethylene(20) oleyl ether–CA conjugate (OE20–CA), and polyoxyehtylene(20) sorbitan monolaurate–CA conjugate (Tween 20–CA). The extinction coefficients of the surfactant–CA conjugates contained in O/W emulsion did not markedly deviate from those of the conjugates dissolved in water, suggesting that the conjugate could maintain their extinction coefficients when they coexisted with oil droplets. According to the result of 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, the viability of cell (BALB/c 3T3 clone A31) was greater than 80% for all the surfactant–CA conjugates tested when the conjugate concentration was 0.2%. It is believed that CE20–CA, OE20–CA, and Tween 20–CA could be used as an emulsifier which absorbs UV light effectively.     

Studies of synergism/antagonism for lowering dynamic interfacial tension in surfactant/alkali/acidic oil systems. 3. Synergism/antagonism in surfactant/alkali/acidic model oil systems

Experimental studies have been conducted to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for synergism/antagonism for lowering dynamic interfacial tension (IFT) in surfactant/alkali/hydrocarbon and surfactant/alkali/acidic model oil systems. Dynamic IFTs between hydrocarbon/acidic model oil and alkali/surfactant solutions were measured. We learned from our experimental results that alkali has the function of decreasing n(min) values of surfactant solutions. The synergism/antagonism for lowering the stable values of dynamic IFTs in surfactant/alkali/hydrocarbon and surfactant/alkali/acidic model oil systems depends on factors that can change the EACN/n(min) value, such as the oleic acid in the oil phase and the n(min) values of surfactant and alkali. A new explanation with respect to EACN/n(min) values is provided.