Towards efficient solar demulsification (I): A solar electrical role on interfacial film of emulsions

Oil/water separation has become a significant issue since emulsions are detected in many industrial wastewater and severely threaten the ecological environment. Developing separation technique driven by solar energy with high separation efficiency is quite meaningful and challenging. In this work, solar electrical role on an interfacial film of emulsions was developed for efficient oil/water separation. Emulsified oil/water droplets from the ASP flooding were chosen to characterize the influence of solar electrical role on demulsification. Droplet size distribution, zeta potential, interfacial tension, viscosity, microscope image, and rheological properties were systematically studied to explore the mechanism of electrical role on the instability of oil droplets. Experimental results indicate solar electrical role on the oil-water interface can change the properties of the interface, help the oil-water emulsion instability, and promote oil-water separation. The instability mechanism of the emulsion can be summarized as the following. Firstly, the charged oil/water droplets interfere with the original electric field, which generates a force along with the droplet's tangential direction. Secondly, the force drives charged groups to radially migrate away from the electrode, which causes the entangled polymer to loosen, expand, and rearrange interface charges, resulting in decreasing in the rigidity and zeta potential. Thirdly, the force also promotes the electrohydrodynamic flow of oil/water droplets. The adjacent oil/water droplets mutually entrained in electrohydrodynamic fluid flow, resulting in coalescence. Furthermore, the interface-active components can be electrochemically oxidized to small molecular. The in-depth research of solar electrical role on interfacial film provides theoretical support for coupling of solar photo effect and thermal effect, to obtain highly efficient solar demulsification.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effect of solar electrical role on the interfacial film of emulsions for efficient oil/water separation. The results show that solar electrical role can change the properties of the oil-water interface, help emulsion instability, and promote oil-water separation.