Chemical dispersant systems are a cost-effective and efficient oil spill remediation strategy, especially compared to strategies such as burning or skimming away oil. But, common dispersant systems have been shown to have toxic effects on local wildlife and vegetation generating concern if the benefits outweigh the cost. Thus, naturally derived chemical dispersants are becoming more desirable as an alternative oil clean-up solution. In particular, egg lecithin, a phospholipid derived from the cell membranes of egg yolks, and Tween 80, a common emulsifier found in food products, have proven to be a practical non-toxic oil dispersant system when combined together. To better understand how these components stabilize oil emulsions in water, the molecular behavior of Tween 80 and a model phospholipid, 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) were investigated at the oil-water emulsion interface. Vibrational sum frequency scattering spectroscopy (VSFSS) was used to acquire information about the population and net orientation of molecules at the droplet, while complementary surface tension measurements were utilized to monitor the adsorption of the dispersants to the oil-water interface. While both Tween 80 and POPC are surface active, we found different surfactant packing behavior between the two species. Further work can investigate how these two components work together. Through understanding how dispersants stabilize oil, the mechanics of other chemical dispersion systems can be better known and other non-toxic dispersant alternatives could become available.

Understanding non-toxic oil dispersants at the oil and water droplet interface

2019 Spring National Meeting

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