Solid, hydrophobic aggregators and methods of making and using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019308166-A1
Application number	US-201815948888-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 9, 2018
Priority date	Apr 9, 2018
Publication date	Oct 10, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein are aggregators that can be cellulosic particles having high oil sorption capacity, high hydrophobicity, high buoyancy in water, and an aggregation quality that can support environmental remediation of hydrocarbon spills (e.g., crude oil spills) by various cleanup strategies including burning, skimming, or bioremediation. Also disclosed are methods of making the materials and methods of using the materials for environmental remediation

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of environmental remediation comprising:
dispersing a quantity of particulate aggregators at a surface region of an aqueous environment in which a liquid hydrocarbon has been spilled, wherein the solid aggregators comprises water-buoyant, cellulosic particles having a hydrophobic surface modified by oleic acid and further modified by one or more additional fatty acids, the hydrophobic surface comprising C18 alkyl chains and at least one other type of alkyl chain having a chain length different than C18; adsorbing the liquid hydrocarbon to the solid aggregators; and aggregating a floating mass at the surface of the aqueous environment, the mass comprising the solid aggregator having the liquid hydrocarbon adsorbed thereto.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising collecting the mass comprising aggregator and liquid hydrocarbon from the surface of the aqueous environment.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising in-situ burning the mass at the surface of the aqueous environment.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising remediating in situ the liquid hydrocarbon adsorbed to the solid aggregator, wherein the hydrophobic surface of the solid aggregator further comprises a bioremediation microorganism.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid aggregator has a crystallinity index value less than or equal to 3%.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid aggregator has a crystallinity index value of approximately 0%.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid has an alkyl chain length less than C22.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid has an alkyl chain length between C10 and C14, inclusive.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said adsorbing further comprises not chemically reacting with water in the aqueous environment.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solid aggregator has an oil sorption capacity of at least 5 g of hydrocarbon per gram of aggregator.

11 . A method comprising
Modifying a native surface of a cellulosic particle with oleic acid to yield a first modified surface comprising C18 alkyl chains; Modifying the first modified surface with a fatty acid having a second alkyl chain length different than C18 to yield a hydrophobic second modified surface comprising C18 alkyl chains and alkyl chains having the second alkyl chain length.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the cellulosic particle comprises a wood particle.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the wood particle comprises a soft wood particle.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second alkyl chain length is less than or equal to C22.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the second alkyl chain length is between C10 and C14, inclusive.

16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said modifying comprises adding the cellulosic particle to a solution comprising pyridine with oleic acid, the fatty acid, or both dissolved therein.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the solution further comprises p-toluenesulfonyl dissolved therein.

18 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising modifying the second modified surface with a fatty acid having a third alkyl chain length different than C18 and the second alkyl chain length to yield a hydrophobic, third modified surface comprising C18 alkyl chains and alkyl chains having the second and third alkyl chain lengths.

19 . The method of claim 11 further comprising depositing a bioremediation microorganism on the hydrophobic second modified surface.

20 . The method of claim 11 further comprising incorporating the cellulosic particle having the hydrophobic second modified surface into a composite construction material comprising a polymer.

21 . A hydrocarbon-remediation aggregator comprising a water-buoyant, wood particle having a hydrophobic surface that comprises C18 alkyl chains and at least one other type of alkyl chain having a chain length different than C18, and wherein the aggregator has a crystallinity index less than or equal to 3% and a hydrocarbon sorption capacity of at least 5 g of hydrocarbon per gram of aggregator.

22 . The hydrocarbon-remediation aggregator of claim 21 , wherein the hydrophobic surface further comprises a bioremediation microorganism attached thereto.

Assignees

• Battelle Memorial Institute

Inventors

• Shin Yongsoon
• Bonheyo George T
• Winder Eric M

Classifications

• C09K3/32

  for absorbing liquids to remove pollution, e.g. oil, gasoline, fat · CPC title

• C02F1/286

  using natural organic sorbents or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• C02F3/348

  characterised by the way or the form in which the microorganisms are added or dosed · CPC title

• C02F2101/32

  Hydrocarbons, e.g. oil · CPC title

• C02F2103/007

  Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds · CPC title