A binary mixture of a biosurfactant and an ionic liquid surfactant as a green dispersant for oil spill remediation

Formulations based on conventional surfactants and organic solvents have been used as potential dispersants for oil-spill remediation. However, their toxicity restricts their usage in marine environments. As a low-toxicity alternative, in this article we report an oil dispersant based on a binary mi...

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Main Authors: Shah, M.U.H., Moniruzzaman, M., Sivapragasam, M., Talukder, M.M.R., Yusup, S.B., Goto, M.
Format: Article
Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas
Record Id / ISBN-0: utp-eprints.22096 /
Published: 2019
Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85061525420&doi=10.1016%2fj.molliq.2019.02.049&partnerID=40&md5=13d0bc794538851f850c1f91e7f4387d
http://eprints.utp.edu.my/22096/
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Summary: Formulations based on conventional surfactants and organic solvents have been used as potential dispersants for oil-spill remediation. However, their toxicity restricts their usage in marine environments. As a low-toxicity alternative, in this article we report an oil dispersant based on a binary mixture of an ionic liquid surfactant, choline laurate (ChoLau), and a biosurfactant, lactonic sophorolipid. We investigated the micellar properties, including the critical micelle concentration, micellar interaction parameter (β), and activity coefficients (f 1 and f 2 ) for the mixed surfactant system. A non-ideal and synergistic interaction between ChoLau and lactonic sophorolipid was observed. A stable oil-in-water emulsion formed at an optimal ratio of 40:60 (w/w) of ChoLau and lactonic sophorolipid. At this ratio, a dispersion effectiveness of 83% was achieved with a dispersant-to-oil ratio of 1:25 (v/v). We observed the dispersed oil droplets with an optical microscope and evaluated their size using dynamic light scattering. The droplet size decreased with increasing dispersant-to-oil ratio. We also assessed the toxicity of the binary surfactant mixture in zebra fish (Danio rerio). Based on this assessment, the mixture can be classified as non-toxic. Therefore, the mixture of ChoLau and lactonic sophorolipid is a potential alternative to conventional toxic oil-spill dispersants. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.