"A possible use of a polymeric surfactant as petroleum pollution collector"

J.L.RODRÍGUEZ, A.E.CIOLINO, O.I.PIERONI, B.M.VUANO AND P.C.SCHULZ

Fortaleza (Brasil)

Simposio; 15th Surfactants in Solution Symposium; 2004

A polymeric surfactant was synthesised by addition of phosphonate groups to asymmetric terminal double bonds of polybutadiene giving a, b unsaturated phosphonic acids. The polymeric surfactant was characterized by RMN and FT-IR. The synthesis  produces a complex cream-like emulsion containing simultaneously water and benzene or toluene. When this emulsion is spreaded on a crude petroleum overflow on water, the oil stain is shrinked and absorbed by the cream-like emulsion. The resulting product can be manipulated more easily than the original oil to extract it from the water surface.