Synthetic surfactants are the conventional line of defence for marine crude oil spills; proprietary formulations such as Corexit have been successfully used. However, concerns about the toxic short and long-term effects of these synthetic formulations on the marine ecosystem have fuelled research into natural alternatives. In this work, we present preliminary findings on the use of mucilage from <i>Abelmoschus esculentus</i>, commonly known as okra. Water extracts of okra mucilage were precipitated with ethanol and stored in powdered form. The powder was reconstituted with water to 1% suspensions. The okra mucilage was characterised by FTIR spectroscopy, and its dispersant effectiveness and emulsion capacity were tested using a synthetic lubricant (crude oil substitute), and its performance compared to that of a commercial detergent. Dispersant effectiveness was tested by a modification of the USEPA baffle flask test. The emulsion capacity measured the mucilage's ability to keep the oil dispersed after initial agitation. The okra mucilage showed a dispersant effectiveness similar to that of the commercial detergent used as a benchmark. This finding supported the qualitative observation of the mucilage's ability to disperse oil in oil-in-water mixtures. Further, the okra mucilage showed a very strong emulsion capacity, keeping the oil/water mixture 100% dispersed for up to 1 hr after initial agitation. This indicates a very stable interaction between the okra mucilage and the oil as well as between the okra mucilage and the water in an oil/water mixtures. From the findings we infer that OM is a promising, new potential candidate for an environmentally benign, biodegradable and non-toxic natural dispersant for oil spills.

Toward a natural dispersant for crude oil spills: Okra <i>(Abelmoschus esculentus)</i> mucilage

2019 Spring National Meeting

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Toward a natural dispersant for crude oil spills: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) mucilage