Limes to Remediate Marine Oil Spill via Green and Ecofriendly In Situ Salt Formation

An absolute remedy to oil spill is
still much solicited owing to
empirical issues like (i) viability of the strategy right on the marine
surface, (ii) operational ease of the entire process, and (iii) cost
of the entire execution, which are difficult to resolve via solo operation.
Current work demonstrates a hassle-free, green, and eco-friendly strategy
to fix these issues simultaneously. Herein, spontaneous salt formation
between carboxylic acids and primary amines, is employed against oil
spill. Lime juice, a natural source of citric acid, is used directly
with primary amines to congeal petrol/crude oil and spilled-over seawater
(at room temperature) without any external stimulus/solvent. The chemistry
behind such gelation is probed comprehensively using established physicochemical
methods. A realistic model is fabricated by crude oil spilled over
marine water and its removal via selective gelation. The recovery
of precious oil from accumulated gel is achieved through simple pressure
filtration. The feasibility and implications of this strategy is comprehensively
analyzed, and an executable blueprint for real-field operation is
developed.

针对溢油的根治性解决方案仍广受亟需，这是由于诸多实操层面的难题难以仅靠单一操作手段解决，具体包括：(i) 该方案在海洋表面的实施可行性；(ii) 全流程操作的便捷性；(iii) 整体执行成本。
本研究提出了一种便捷易用、绿色环保的策略，可同时解决上述所有难题。本研究利用羧酸（carboxylic acids）与伯胺（primary amines）之间的自发成盐反应来应对溢油问题：以天然柠檬酸（citric acid）来源的柠檬汁与伯胺直接复配，可在室温条件下无需任何外部刺激或溶剂辅助，即可实现汽油/原油与溢漏海水的胶凝固化。
本研究采用成熟的物理化学方法，对该胶凝过程的反应机理进行了全面探究。研究人员通过将原油溢漏至海水中构建了真实场景模型，并通过选择性胶凝实现了溢油的移除。通过简易的加压过滤，即可从形成的胶凝体中回收珍贵的原油。
本研究全面分析了该策略的可行性与应用前景，并开发出了可落地的现场操作实施方案。