Selected adsorbent materials for oil-spill cleanup

Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry have been applied to determine the adsorption of oil on selected adsorbates: sand, organo-clay and raw cotton. Thermal analysis provides evidence for the interaction and physical adsorption of the diesel oil on the adsorbates. Sand adsorbed diesel to around 33% by mass through weak physical interactions and appeared to fractionate the diesel components. The organo-clays more strongly adsorbed the diesel as evidenced by higher thermal decomposition temperatures. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) shows a strong interaction between the organo-clay and the diesel oil. Diesel is effectively adsorbed on organo-clay through adsorption and partitioning and is not removed from the organo-clay until significantly higher temperatures. Cotton displayed a very high adsorption/absorption capacity. A shift in the peak at 110°C (compared with pure diesel at 90°C) suggests an interaction between the diesel compounds and the cotton fibres as diesel is being retained at higher temperatures and more energy is required to evaporate the diesel. DSC was used to determine the strength of the diesel adsorption on the sand, organo-clay and cotton. The use of adsorbent materials to adsorb oil from oil spills is of great significance in modern society. One method of proving the effectiveness of an adsorbent material is through thermoanalytical techniques.     

Fluorous metal-organic frameworks with superior adsorption and hydrophobic properties toward oil spill cleanup and hydrocarbon storage

We demonstrate that fluorous metal-organic frameworks (FMOFs) are highly hydrophobic porous materials with a high capacity and affinity to C(6)-C(8) hydrocarbons of oil components. FMOF-1 exhibits reversible adsorption with a high capacity for n-hexane, cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, and p-xylene, with no detectable water adsorption even at near 100% relative humidity, drastically outperforming activated carbon and zeolite porous materials. FMOF-2, obtained from annealing FMOF-1, shows enlarged cages and channels with double toluene adsorption vs FMOF-1 based on crystal structures. The results suggest great promise for FMOFs in applications such as removal of organic pollutants from oil spills or ambient humid air, hydrocarbon storage and transportation, water purification, etc. under practical working conditions.     

碳氟-碳氢表面活性剂混合水溶液在油面上铺展

本文研究RfCONH(CH2)3N(C2H5)2CH3I/CnH2n 1,COONa及RfCOONa/CmH2m 1N(CH3)3Br(Rf=F[CF(CF3)CF2O]2CF(CF3);n=7,8.11,13;m=8,10,12)两类正，负离子碳氟－碳氢表面活性剂混合水溶液在油面上的铺展及对油面的密封性能。研究表明在碳氟表面活性剂中加入异电性碳氢表面活性剂可大大降低碳氟表面活性剂水溶液的铺展浓度，也可使一些因素表面张力较高而不能铺展的碳氟表面活性剂水溶液在油面上铺展。在碳氟表面活性剂中加入异电性碳氢表面活性剂可提高水膜对油面的密封性。若在混合表面活性剂中加入黄原胶，水膜的密封性能更好。     

氧杂氟表面活性剂及其与同电性碳氢表面活性剂混合溶液的表面吸附和胶团形成

研究了四种氧杂氟表面活性及其与同电性直链碳氢表面活性剂混合体系的表面活性;考察了混合体系中的表面吸附和胶团形成现象.在吸附层中分子间有明显的互疏作用,在溶液中倾向于各自形成胶团.还讨论了反离子结合度不同对理想混合胶团的组成CMC的计算的影响,提出了一般的计算式,实验测得这些氧杂氟表面活性剂有较低的胶团反离子结合度.     

Sugar-based gemini surfactants with peptide bonds-synthesis, adsorption, micellization, and biodegradability

The sugar-based gemini surfactant with peptide bonds, N,N'-bisalkyl-N,N'-bis[2-(lactobionylamide)ethyl]hexanediamide (2C(n)peLac, in which n represents hydrocarbon chain lengths of 12 and 16), was synthesized by reacting adipoyl chloride with the corresponding monomeric surfactant N-alkyl-N'-lactobionylethylenediamine (C(n)peLac), which was obtained by reacting ethylenediamine with alkyl bromide and lactobionic acid. The adsorption and micellization properties of C(n)peLac and 2C(n)peLac were characterized by the measurement of their equilibrium and dynamic surface tension, steady-state fluorescence using pyrene as a probe, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and time-resolved fluorescence quenching (TRFQ), and their biodegradability was also investigated. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) decreases with an increase in the hydrocarbon chains from monomeric to gemini surfactants, whereas it increases with an increase in the chain length from 12 to 16 for both systems. The increases in both the hydrocarbon chain and the chain length of sugar-based surfactants reduce surface activities such as the ability to lower the surface tension, the occupied area per molecule, and the adsorption rate at the air/water interface. The sugar-based surfactants C(n)peLac and 2C(n)peLac exhibit unique aggregation behavior in aqueous solution. The DLS results indicate that the apparent hydrodynamic diameter of C(n)peLac micelles decreases sharply with increasing concentration, whereas that of 2C(n)peLac micelles decreases gradually. From the TRFQ measurement, it was observed that, as concentration increases, the aggregation numbers are almost constant for C(n)peLac, whereas they increase for 2C(n)peLac. These results imply that loosely packed micelles formed by sugar-based surfactants become tightly packed micelles as the concentration increases. Furthermore, it was found that 2C(n)peLac shows lower biodegradability than does C(n)peLac because it contains tertiary amines in the molecule.     

Pumping through Porous Hydrophobic/Oleophilic Materials: An Alternative Technology for Oil Spill Remediation

Recently, porous hydrophobic/oleophilic materials (PHOMs) have been shown to be the most promising candidates for cleaning up oil spills; however, due to their limited absorption capacity, a large quantity of PHOMs would be consumed in oil spill remediation, causing serious economic problems. In addition, the complicated and time‐consuming process of oil recovery from these sorbents is also an obstacle to their practical application. To solve the above problems, we apply external pumping on PHOMs to realize the continuous collection of oil spills in situ from the water surface with high speed and efficiency. Based on this novel design, oil/water separation and oil collection can be simultaneously achieved in the remediation of oil spills, and the oil sorption capacity is no longer limited to the volume and weight of the sorption material. This novel external pumping technique may bring PHOMs a step closer to practical application in oil spill remediation.     

Effect of hydrocarbon parts of the polar headgroup on surfactant aggregates in gemini and bola surfactant solutions

Cationic gemini surfactant homologues alkanediyl-alpha,omega-bis(dodecyldiethylammonium) bromide, [C12H25(CH3CH2)2N(CH2)SN(CH2CH3)2C12H25]Br2, where S = 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12, referred to as C12CSC12(Et), and cationic bolaamphiphiles BPHEAB (biphenyl-4,4'-bis(oxyhexamethylenetriethylammonium) bromide), PHEAB (phenyl-4,4'- bis(oxyhexamethylenetriethylammonium) bromide) were synthesized, and their aggregation behaviors in aqueous solution were studied and compared by means of dynamic light scattering, fluorescence entrapment, and transmission electron microscopy. Spherical vesicles were found in the aqueous solutions of these gemini and bola surfactants, which can be attributed to the increase of the hydrocarbon parts of the polar headgroup of the surfactants. In combination with the result of the other gemini with headgroup of propyl group, the increase of the hydrophobic parts of the surfactant polar headgroup will be beneficial to enhance the aggregation capability of the gemini and bola surfactants. Both of the vesicles formed in the gemini and bola systems showed good stabilities with time and temperature, but different stability with salt due to the different membrane conformations of surfactant molecules in the vesicles.     

Synthesis and Surface Properties of N-Alkyl-N-methylgluconamides and N-Alkyl-N-methyllactobionamides

Three series of nonionic N-alkylaldonamides, N-alkyl-N-methylgluconamides (Cn-MGA, Cn: n-C(10)H(21), n-C(12)H(25), n-C(14)H(29), n-C(16)H(33), and n-C(18)H(37)), N-alkyl-N-methyllactobionamides (Cn-MLA, alkyl as above-mentioned), and N-oleyl-N-methylglucon/lactobionamide, were synthesized in the reaction of an appropriate N-alkyl-N-methylamine with delta-D-glucolactone and lactobionic acid, respectively. Krafft temperatures of aqueous solutions and surface properties of these surfactants at 20 degrees C, i.e., surface excess concentration, Gamma(cmc), surface area demand per molecule, A(min), efficiency in surface tension reduction, pC(20), effectiveness in surface tension reduction, Pi(cmc), critical micelle concentration, CMC, and CMC/C(20) parameter as well as standard free energies of adsorption, DeltaG degrees (ads), and of micellization, DeltaG degrees (mic), were determined. It was shown that introduction of the methyl group to the amide nitrogen increased the solubility of the surfactants, which was confirmed by their Krafft temperatures. Lactobionamides are more water soluble than gluconamides. On the other hand, the Cn-MGA surfactants are more surface active than the respective Cn-MLA ones. This observation is based on the determined adsorption and micellization parameters. The presence of one double bond in a hydrocarbon chain as in oleyl-amides increases their hydrophilic character compared with that of saturated C18 derivatives. No distinct differences were observed between the A(min) values obtained for both series studied, although they differ markedly in the size of the hydrophilic groups. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Adsorption of fluoride, chloride, bromide, and bromate ions on a novel ion exchanger

A novel ion exchanger based on double hydrous oxide (Fe2O3Al2O3xH2O) was obtained by the original sol-gel method from easily available and cheap raw materials and employed for adsorption of F-, Cl-, Br-, and BrO-3 from simultaneous solutions. Adsorbent was characterized by potentiometric titration, zeta-potential, and poremetrical characteristics. A technologically attractive pH effect of F-, Br-, and BrO-3 sorption on the investigated double hydroxide of Fe and Al, which is capable of working in the pH range 3 to 8.5, was observed. Kinetic data on fluoride and bromide sorption fit well the pseudo-second-order model. Isotherms of fluoride, bromide, chlorine, and bromate ion sorption on Fe2O3Al2O3xH2O were obtained at pH 4. The isotherm of F- sorption fit well the Langmuir model; sorption affinity (K=0.52 L/mg) and sorption capacity (90 mg F/g) were high. In the competitive adsorption of bromide and bromate, bromide dominated at equilibrium concentrations of the ions >40 mg/L. The mechanism of fluoride adsorption to the surface of the model cluster of the sorbent synthesized and the geometry of the cluster itself were modeled with the HyperChem7 program using the PM3 method.     

Synthesis and characterization of ordered hexagonal and cubic mesoporous tin oxides via mixed-surfactant templates route

Ordered hexagonal and cubic mesoporous tin oxides were synthesized for the first time in the presence of mixed cationic and neutral surfactants (a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide cationic surfactant and dodecylamine neutral surfactant) with different alkali and simple inorganic precursors at room temperature. In the synthesis systems, the dodecylamine neutral surfactant may function as a polar organic cosolvent and cosurfactant. The formation of the tin oxide mesostructured material was proposed to be due to the presence of hydrogen-bonding interactions between the supramolecular template and inorganic precursors Sn4+ and OH-, which were assumed to self-assemble around the cationic surfactant molecules. The materials are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm. The surface areas of materials evaluated from the N2 sorption isotherms are about 248 m(2)/g for hexagonal mesoporous tin oxide (SnH) and 281 m(2)/g for cubic mesoporous tin oxide (Sn-C) for calcination at 350 degrees C.     

Formation of Cubic-Phase Microemulsions with Anionic and Cationic Surfactants at Equal Amounts of Oil and Water

The formation and microstructure of cubic phases were investigated in anionic and cationic surfactant-containing systems at 25 degrees C. In the system sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS)-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide(DTAB)-water, mixing of two surfactants shows the phase transition hexagonal phase (H(1))-->surfactant precipitate, accompanied by an obvious decrease in the cross-sectional area per surfactant in the rod micelles of the hexagonal liquid crystal. In the mixed systems brine(A)-dodecane(B)-SDS(C)-DTAB(D)-hexanol(E), the isotropic discontinuous cubic phase is formed from the H(1) phase at a low cationic surfactant weight fraction, Y=D/(C+D), and from the lamellar phase at high Y upon dilution with equal amounts of oil and brine, respectively. The minimum surfactant concentration to form the cubic phase decreases with increases both in cationic surfactant weight fraction Y from 0 to 0.30 and in hexanol weight fraction, W(1)=E/(C+D+E), accordingly. The maximum solubilization for oil of the cubic phase reaches 43 wt% at 14 wt% of mixed surfactants and alcohol. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Shamrock surfactants: synthesis and characterization

Two types of a new class of surfactants with three headgroups, which possess the general structure 1, have been prepared. Within structure 1, a central headgroup is connected to two flanking headgroups by hydrocarbon chains. The term "shamrock" is used to describe surfactants of structure 1, denoting their triple-headed character and reflecting the fact that shamrocks have leaflets in groups of three. The major lipophilic character of shamrock surfactants is provided by the two hydrocarbon chains linking the three headgroups and not by long-chain alkyl groups appended to the linking hydrocarbon chains or the headgroups. The new surfactants are 2a (2,2,15,15,28,28-hexamethyl-2,15,28-triazonianonacosane triiodide), 2b (2,2,15,15,28,28-hexamethyl-2,15,28-triazonianonacosane trichloride), 3a (O,O'-di-[10-(N,N,N-tripropylammonio)decyl]phosphorodithioate bromide), and 3b (O,O'-di-[10-(N,N,N-tributylammonio)decyl]phosphorodithioate bromide). Compound 14 (2,2,9,9,16,16-hexamethyl-2,9,16-triazoniaheptadecane triiodide) was prepared for comparison with 2a. Surfactants 2 and 3 were characterized in water by measurement of their Krafft temperatures and critical aggregation concentrations, and their aggregates were studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy, dynamic laser light scattering, and phase-contrast optical microscopy. Aqueous 2b was also studied by cryo-etch high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, which revealed irregularly shaped cells containing a complex matrix of surfactant. Coacervates were observed by optical microscopy upon the hydration of 2 and 3.     

Fast solid-phase extraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry procedure for oil fingerprinting. Application to the Prestige oil spill

A rapid and simple fractionation procedure using solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges was developed for an accurate determination of aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum residues and further application in chemical fingerprinting of oil spills by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Among the adsorbents evaluated, SiO2/C3-CN exhibited the best selectivity, providing, by elution with n-hexane (4 ml) and n-hexane-CH2Cl2 (1:1) (5 ml), two well-resolved aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions, with recoveries of 97 +/- 7.2 and 99.7 +/- 13.9%, respectively. The SPE fractionation procedure was compared with the conventional silica-alumina adsorption chromatography showing similar results but practical advantages in terms of reproducibility, analysis time, solvent reduction and cost. Moreover, is particularly suitable for routine analysis with a high sample throughput. The developed methodology was tested in the characterization of fuel-oil samples collected along the Spanish north-west coast, after the Prestige oil spill accident.     

Manipulation of the adsorption of ionic surfactants onto hydrophilic silica using polyelectrolytes

This paper demonstrates the use of polyelectrolytes to modify and manipulate the adsorption of ionic surfactants onto the hydrophilic surface of silica. We have demonstrated that the cationic polyelectrolyte poly(dimethyl diallylammonium chloride), poly-dmdaac, modifies the adsorption of cationic and anionic surfactants to the hydrophilic surface of silica. A thin robust polymer layer is adsorbed from a dilute polymer/surfactant solution. The resulting surface layer is cationic and changes the relative affinity of the cationic surfactant hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide, C16TAB, and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS, to adsorb. The adsorption of C16TAB is dramatically reduced. In contrast, strong adsorption of SDS was observed, in situations where SDS would normally have a low affinity for the surface of silica. We have further shown that subsequent adsorption of the anionic polyelectrolyte sodium poly(styrene sulfonate), Na-PSS, onto the poly-dmdaac coated surface results in a change back to an anionic surface and a further change in the relative affinities of the cationic and anionic surfactants for the surface. The relative amounts of C16TAB and SDS adsorption depend on the coverage of the polyelectrolyte, and these preliminary measurements show that this can be manipulated.     

Dynamical and rheological properties of fluorinated surfactant films adsorbed at the pressurized CO2-H2O interface

The dynamics of adsorption, interfacial tension, and rheological properties of two phosphocholine-derived partially fluorinated surfactants FnHmPC, designed to compensate for the weak CO(2)-surfactant tail interactions, were determined at the pressurized CO(2)-H(2)O interface. The two surfactants differ only by the length of the hydrocarbon spacer (5 CH(2) in F8H5PC and 11 CH(2) in F8H11PC) located between the terminal perfluoroalkyl chain and the polar head. The length of this spacer was found to have a critical impact on the adsorption kinetics and elasticity of the interfacial surfactant film. F8H5PC is soluble in both water and CO(2) phases and presents several distinct successive interfacial behaviors when bulk water concentration (C(W)) increases and displays a nonclassical isotherm shape. The isotherms of F8H5PC are similar for the three CO(2) pressures investigated and comprise four regimes. In the first regime, at low C(W), the interfacial tension is controlled by the organization that occurs between H(2)O and CO(2). The second regime corresponds to the adsorption of the surfactant as a monolayer until the CO(2) phase is saturated with F8H5PC, resulting in a first inflection point. In this regime, F8H5PC molecules reach maximal compaction and display the highest apparent interfacial elasticity. In the third regime, a second inflection is observed that corresponds to the critical micelle concentration of the surfactant in water. At the highest concentrations (fourth regime), the interfacial films are purely viscous and highly flexible, suggesting the capacity for this surfactant to produce water-in-CO(2) microemulsion. In this regime, surfactant adsorption is very fast and equilibrium is reached in less than 100 s. The behavior of F8H11PC is drastically different: it forms micelles only in the water phase, resulting in a classical Gibbs interface. This surfactant decreases the interfacial tension down to 1 mN/m and forms a strongly elastic interface. As this surfactant forms a very cohesive interface, it should be suitable for formulating stable water-in-CO(2) emulsions. The finding that the length of the hydrocarbon spacer in partially fluorinated surfactants can drastically influence film properties at the CO(2)-H(2)O interface should help control the formation of microemulsions versus emulsions and help elaborate a rationale for the design of surfactants specifically adapted to pressurized CO(2).     

Effects of surfactants on the adsorptive removal of basic dyes from water using an organomineral sorbent-iron humate

The sorption of basic dyes (methylene blue, malachite green, rhodamine B, crystal violet) onto a nonconventional organomineral sorbent-iron humate-was examined in the presence of various kinds of surfactants. It was found that nonionic (Triton X-100) and cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) surfactants exhibited a relatively small effect on the dye sorption. Anionic surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate), on the other hand, affected (in most cases) dramatically the sorption of basic (cationic) dyes. Typically, the dye sorption was enhanced in the presence of low concentrations of anionic surfactants. At high surfactant concentrations, a steep decrease in the dye sorption was observed in some systems, probably due to the formation of micelles that solubilize the dye molecules and prevent their sorption. A model describing these experimental dependencies was proposed. The sorption of basic dyes onto iron humate may be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation. Diffusion processes were identified as the main mechanisms controlling the rate of the dye sorption.     

Partition and water/oil adsorption of some surfactants

Adsorption isotherms have been determined at the water/oil interface for five biphasic systems involving surfactants (non-ionic and ionic) present in both phases at partition equilibrium. The systems studied were polyoxyethylene(23)lauryl ether (Brij35) in water/hexane and four ionic surfactants, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and a series of three tetraalkylammonium dodecylsulfate (TEADS, TPADS, and TBADS) in water/CH 2Cl 2. Interfacial tension measurements performed at the water/air and water/oil interfaces provided all the necessary information for the determination of the adsorption parameters by taking partition into account. These measurements also allowed the comparison of the adsorption properties at both interfaces which showed an increase of the adsorption equilibrium constant and a decrease of the maximum surface concentration at the water/oil interface compared to water/air. The values of the critical aggregation concentration showed, in all cases, that only the surfactant dissolved in the aqueous phase contribute to the decrease of the water/oil interfacial tension. In the case of the four ionic surfactants, the critical aggregation concentration obtained in biphasic conditions were lowered because of the formation of mixed surfactant-CH 2Cl 2 aggregates.     

季铵盐型Gemini表面活性剂在金表面的吸附行为

以邻苯二酚(CC)为电化学探针, 利用循环伏安、交流阻抗等方法研究了不同阳离子Gemini表面活性剂(C16H33(CH3)2N-C4H8-N(CH3)2C16H33 (C16-C4-C16)、C12H25(CH3)2N-C4H8-N(CH3)2C12H25 (C12-C4-C12)、C8H17(CH3)2N-C4H8-N(CH3)2C8H17 (C8-C4-C8))在金电极表面的吸附性能. 结果表明, CC在KNO3溶液中可产生两对峰; 当向溶液中加入阳离子Gemini表面活性剂时, 第一对峰降低, 第二对峰升高, 峰电位差变大; 碳链长的表面活性剂对CC的氧化还原峰的影响较大. 同样, 碳链长的表面活性剂使电极界面的阻抗增大较多, 使石英晶片的频率变化较大. 根据CC的第一个氧化峰的面积随表面活性剂吸附的变化, 估测了它们的吸附模式. 发现这三种表面活性剂在金电极表面的吸附基本符合Langmuir吸附模型.     

正、负离子碳氟-碳氢表面活性剂混合水溶液的表面活性

1　前言碳氟表面活性剂是目前所有表面活性剂中表面活性最高的一类 ,具有很多碳氢表面活性剂无法取代的特殊用途[1] 。但是碳氟表面活性剂由于合成困难 ,价格昂贵 ,实际应用受到限大限制。研究表明 ,通过碳氟表面活性剂与碳氢表面活性剂的复配 ,有可能减少碳氟表面活性剂的用量而保持其表面活性 [1] 。在所有表面活性剂混合体系中 ,正、负离子表面活性剂混合体系具有最强的协同效应 [2 ] 。但由于正、负离子表面活性剂混合溶液一般在很低浓度即形成沉淀 ,对碳氟表面活性剂更是如此。因此目前有关碳氟—碳氢混合表面活性剂的研究主要集中在同…