Synergistic performance of a Gemini nano ionic liquid and sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactants at the crude oil-water interface

Gemini surface active ionic liquids (GSAILs) are known as effective and environmentally friendly materials. Conventional anionic surfactants like sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), on the other hand, can establish desired properties in solutions. This study reports investigation on the influence of the mixtures of an imidazolium cationic GSAIL, [C4im-C6-C4im][Br]2, and the SDS anionic surfactant on the interfacial tension (IFT), emulsification, and wettability alteration of the crude oil-water system. Results demonstrate amazing synergistic effects, resulting in 97.1 % more IFT reductions compared to what could be achieved with the linear contribution of surfactants. Under the GSAIL mole fraction of 0.4 and the mixture concentration of 0.25 mol center dot dm = 3 in aqueous phase, a low IFT of 0.18 mN center dot m = 1 was attained. This is attributed to the attractive interaction between the involved surfactants. Synergisms of 52.0 and 59.8 % were also achieved in emulsification and wettability alteration with the mixture of surfactants under the optimum GSAIL mole fraction of 0.4. The obtained data for the individual and the mixture of surfactants were analyzed based on, respectively, Frumkin adsorption isotherm and the non-ideal interactions in binary mixtures theory. Corresponding consistent parameters were determined and discussed.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of a mixture of imidazolium cationic GSAIL and SDS anionic surfactant on the properties of crude oil-water system. The results show that under certain conditions, this mixture can significantly reduce interfacial tension and improve emulsification and wettability alteration effects.