A novel polymer dispersant with a tri-block structure was designed. The tri-block polymer was composed of polyglycerin (PGL) with two dimethylpolysiloxane chains (DMPS) at both ends of the molecular structure. The high dispersibility of the dispersant was confirmed in both a model silica system and a sunscreen formulation. The apparent silica particle size was employed as an index for the dispe...

In order to better understand the practice of dispersant use, a review has been undertaken of marine oil spills over a 10 year period (1995-2005), looking in particular at variations between different regions and oil-types. This viewpoint presents and analyses the review data and examines a range of dispersant use policies. The paper also discusses the need for a reasoned approach to dispersant...

This work presents a simple method to generate ordered chromophore/dispersant nanoarrays through a pore-filling process for a nanoporous polymer template to enhance chromophore luminescence. Fluorescence results combining with the morphological evolution examined by scanning probe microscopy reveal that the enhanced luminescence intensity reaches the maximum intensity as the nanopores of the te...

Sedimentation studies have been carried out to optimize the dispersion conditions of aqueous alumina nanopowder suspensions with or without dispersants (ammonium salt of polymethacrylic acid or rhamnolipids at 15%). Different dispersant dosages, solid loadings, pulp densities and pH values were examined. The iso-electric point (IEP) of the alumina nanopowder was found to be pHiep= 9.2. The expe...

Dispersant use in nearshore areas is likely to increase the exposure of aquatic organisms to petroleum. To measure the toxicity of this controversial response technique, golden grey mullets (Liza aurata) were exposed to mechanically dispersed oil, chemically dispersed oil, dispersant alone in seawater, water-soluble fraction of oil and to seawater as a control treatment. Several biomarkers were...

Current chemical dispersant effectiveness tests for product selection are commonly performed with bench-scale testing apparatus. However, for the assessment of oil dispersant effectiveness under real sea state conditions, test protocols are required to have hydrodynamic conditions closer to the natural environment, including transport and dilution effects. To achieve this goal, Fisheries and Oc...

Lecithin-rich mixtures of the nontoxic surfactants lecithin and Tween 80 are effective marine oil spill dispersants, but produce much higher oil-water interfacial tension than other, comparably effective dispersants. This suggests interfacial phenomena other than interfacial tension influence lecithin-Tween 80 dispersants' effectiveness. The interface between seawater and dispersant-crude oil m...

Suspensions of carbon black in oil, stabilized with adsorbed polyisobutylene succinimide (PIBSI) dispersant, are commonly used as model systems for investigating the soot-handling characteristics of motor oils. The structure of the carbon-black agglomerates changes dramatically with temperature; this results in a concomitant change in the suspension rheology. Linear and nonlinear rheological ex...

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 raised concerns that dispersant and dispersed oil, as well as crude oil itself, could contaminate shellfish and seafood habitats with hazardous residues that had potential implications for human health and the ecosystem. However, little is known about the effects of crude oil and dispersant on the human fecal microbiota. The aim of this research was to ev...