Biocompatible Herder for Rapid Oil Spill Treatment over a Wide Temperature Range

Abstract

Oil spills caused by damaged oil rigs, ruptured pipelines, and tankers can have immediate and long-term detrimental effects on marine systems and aquatic life. Herein we further develop the merit of an oil spill recovery technique called oil herding. A herder is an amphiphilic oil-collecting surfactant which is applied to spray around the oil spill areas and is able to retract oil slicks, transforming them from a large thin layer to a small thick bulk. This herding treatment greatly simplifies further in-situ burning and the recycle process. The natural konjac glucomannan (KGM) material could be functionalized and examined here as an oil herder, which has the great advantage of nontoxicity, biocompatibility, and adaptability. Moreover, functionalized KGM is a non-ionic surfactant with no Krafft temperature. The absence of Krafft temperature gives KGM surfactants the unique ability to retain surfactant ability at temperatures nearing 0 °C. It unlocks a new direction for efficient oil herders within low temperature water areas, especially for oil spills treatment in Arctic waters, in the offshore safety control.