Abstract:

This dataset contains (a) measured effectivenesses for crude oil dispersants composed of lecithin/Tween 80/solvent blends, as a function of lecithin:Tween 80 (w/w) ratio, dispersant:oil (v/v) dosage ratio, overall surfactant:solvent (w/w) ratio, and solvent composition; (b) measured interfacial tensions at crude oil/seawater interfaces treated with said dispersants, as a function of lecithin:Tween 80 (w/w) ratio in the dispersant; (c) a demonstration video of the agitation phase of the Baffled Flask dispersant effectiveness test, which was employed to obtain the aforementioned dispersant effectiveness measurements; and (d) images (in video form, as originally captured) of some of the dispersant-treated crude oil droplets dispersed in seawater by this Baffled Flask dispersant effectiveness test. This dataset supports the publication "Efficient Dispersion of Crude Oil by Food-Grade Surfactants"

Suggested Citation:

McCormick, Alon; Riehm, David, et al.. 2015. Dataset supporting the publication "Efficient Dispersion of Crude Oil by Food-Grade Surfactants". Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7833Q0R

Publications:

Riehm, D. A., Neilsen, J. E., Bothun, G. D., John, V. T., Raghavan, S. R., & McCormick, A. V. (2015). Efficient dispersion of crude oil by blends of food-grade surfactants: Toward greener oil-spill treatments. Marine Pollution Bulletin. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.11.012

Purpose:

In Aug 2014, the Langmuir article “An effective dispersant for oil spills based on food-grade amphiphiles”, on which Vijay John and Srinivasa Raghavan were also authors, highlighted lecithin/Tween 80 blends as effective emulsifiers of crude oil into seawater and posited that they might be good marine oil dispersants. This manuscript follows up on that work by confirming the high dispersion effectiveness of lecithin/Tween 80-based dispersants, using a baffled flask test protocol similar to that employed by the US EPA to evaluate dispersant effectiveness. Additionally, trends in dispersant effectiveness as a function of dispersant composition and dosed dispersant:oil ratio are reported and interpreted to shed further light on the mechanisms of lecithin/Tween 80 dispersant action.

Data Parameters and Units:

Image data from cryo-TEM; Wavelength (nm), Sample Absorbance, 100% Standard Absorbance, Effectiveness (%); Time (minutes), Speed (RPM), Apparent Diameter (marks), Actual Diameter (mm), Interfacial Tension (dynes/cm^2), Average Observed Interfacial Tension (dynes/cm^2), Standard Deviation of Observed Interfacial Tension (dynes/cm^2), Length (marks), L/D, Correction Factor

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