Removal of crude oil residue from solid surfaces using microemulsions

This paper presents a study on the removal of crude oil residue from sand using microemulsions. A newly developed experimental technique referred to as the Shaken Bottle test was developed to quantify the amount of crude oil residue removed. This technique consists of coating sand with crude oil, baking it in an oven for 24 h and then treating it with a surfactant solution or a microemulsion. The percentage of crude oil residue removal was quantified using UV-Vis spectroscopy. In this study, microemulsion removed a much larger amount of crude oil residue from sand surfaces compared to using the same surfactant alone. The amount of removal was strongly dependent on the crude oil composition, microemulsion concentration, solvent amount and type contained within the microemulsion.