Sugar based amphiphiles: easily accessible and efficient crude oil spill thickening agents

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate the use of biomass for the catalytic production of phase-selective gelators (PSGs) as a cost-effective, environmentally benign and ideal method for crude oil spill remediation, as well as execute the study exclusively in crude oil. The use of PSGs has recently provided great promise relative to that of their traditional counterparts. However, the use of PSGs with crude oil is much more complicated due to its complex composition. All of the current PSG methods are demonstrated with refined oils or do not employ eco-friendly methods like enzymatic synthesis. Our current project entails studying sugar alcohol-derived amphiphiles for their phase-selective gelation in crude oil; the PSGs are derived from renewable, benign materials and synthesized via a simple, single-step, enzymatic catalysis that required no purification. The results showed that, after a rigorous and systematic testing, the mannitol-derived amphiphile using 8-carbon alkyl chain length (M-8) turned out to be the best crude oil PSG among the studied amphiphiles. M-8 demonstrated a versatility towards thickening of different crude oil types, an efficient ability towards selective gelation of the oil (forming crude oil gel that is over sixty-one-times its mass and stable up to 109.7 °C) in a crude oil/water mixture, and an ability to form gel under practical situations such as seawater conditions. These qualities, in addition to the use of a simple and environmentally benign method to synthesize the structuring agents, make this amphiphile very practical in real life application.

How Far Are We in Combating Marine Oil Spills by Using Phase‐Selective Organogelators?

“…John and co-workers have extended their study with mannitol and sorbitol-based gelators by synthesizing the long fatty acid derivatives 97-101 by adopting enzyme assisted synthesis (Figure 16). [59] Out of several acyl derivatives, compounds 97-101 exhibited good gelation properties towards variety of crude oils. Being superior gelator among them, compound 97 was used for model OSR studies.…”

“…Toluene was used as the carrier solvent for the application of these gelators. John and co‐workers have extended their study with mannitol and sorbitol‐based gelators by synthesizing the long fatty acid derivatives 97 – 101 by adopting enzyme assisted synthesis (Figure ) . Out of several acyl derivatives, compounds 97 – 101 exhibited good gelation properties towards variety of crude oils.…”

Xylitol based phase selective organogelators for potential oil spillage recovery

“…However, the major oil-spills caused by crude-oil, mainly during transportation through sea or during drilling which is associated with more rigorous challenge for recovery, are mitigated by sugar based gelators; are reported by very few authors. 33,39,43,44 As already discussed earlier that heating-cooling process is tedious and not viable over sea. Room temperature gelation is preferred choice for these type of typical applications.…”

“…12, Sugar based gelators are one of the important class from economic perspective, ease of synthesis and biocompatibility. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] John and co-workers in 2010 demonstrated a model study with reduced sugar (mannitol) based amphiphile PSGs for oil spill treatment. 29 Following the pathway of selective protection of hydrophilic -OH groups in sugars by hydrophobic groups, several authors have reported mannitol, [29][30][31][32][33] sorbitol, [34][35][36][37] glucose, [38][39][40] galactose, 41,42 arabinose 43,44 and other sugar based PSGs.…”

“…Recent literatures indicate the mitigation of crude oil spills by sugar based gelators, applying them in solution phase or as powder at room temperature. 33,39,43,44 Regardless of some recent progress in the eld, there is still a signicant need to develop many more examples of cost effective, less toxic and easily applicable LMWGs to handle the real situation of a marine oil spill.…”