The research involves investigating the use of natural and model surfactants as well as experimentally testing their efficacy in similar conditions such as the ones encountered at Deepwater Horizon spill sites. Two types of surfactant systems are being investigated: synthetic polymeric surfactants (where chemical functionality and architecture can be precisely controlled) and natural polymeric surfactants. The natural surfactants yield important cues for designing non-toxic dispersants. We have compared their effectiveness to currently used dispersants at the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill site in the Gulf of Mexico.  Currently, the relationship between the design of dispersants and effectiveness in oil spills is not well understood. This project will advance knowledge between surfactant design and dispersion efficacy in the open sea, since two major outcomes from this research are as follows: First, new in situ experimental methods to study dispersion efficiency under flow are being developed. Second, a set of design rules that guides the next generation of non-toxic dispersants that function over a broad range of oil viscosities and temperature gradients are being established. In order to predict dispersant behavior, we have used models involving intermolecular forces and interfacial phenomena. It is expected that this research will have a strong environmental and societal impact with its focus on developing non-toxic solutions for oil spill dispersion.

Water-based, natural polymer surfactants:  Implications for Deepwater Horizon oil spill dispersions

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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