Bio-Based Surfactant Compositions for Brine Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surfactants face issues such as high cost, poor biocompatibility, poor solubility, and incompatibility with high-salinity aqueous fluids like brines, leading to precipitation and limited applicability in industrial and consumer products.
Innovation Solution
Compositions formed from biologically sourced materials, including reaction products of fatty acids or fatty esters with saccharide polymers, combined with zwitterionic surfactants, exhibit synergistic interactions to achieve low surface tension and brine tolerance, allowing compatibility with high-salinity aqueous fluids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional surfactants are used to achieve low surface tension, then surface tension is reduced, but they exhibit poor biodegradability and are subject to environmental regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters by using bio-based fatty acids (C6-C24) and saccharide polymers to create surfactants with improved biodegradability while maintaining surface tension reduction capabilities. This resolves the contradiction by modifying the molecular structure parameters to achieve both low surface tension and environmental compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates composite surfactant systems combining reaction products of fatty acids with saccharide polymers (such as dextran, dextrin, or starch) to achieve synergistic effects. This composite approach allows the surfactant to maintain effective surface tension reduction while incorporating biodegradable, bio-based components that satisfy environmental requirements.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional surfactants are used to achieve low surface tension, then surface tension is reduced, but they are expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive, readily available bio-based materials such as fatty acids from natural sources and common saccharide polymers (starch, dextrin) to create cost-effective surfactants. These bio-based components are generally cheaper than conventional synthetic surfactants, resolving the cost contradiction while maintaining functional performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes naturally occurring bio-based materials that require minimal processing to achieve surfactant functionality. The reaction between fatty acids and saccharide polymers can be performed using simple aqueous phase chemistry, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while producing effective low-surface-tension formulations.
3Use of energy by moving object
If bio-based surfactants (reaction product of fatty acid and saccharide polymer with neutral surfactant) are used to achieve low surface tension and compatibility with low-salinity fluids, then surface tension is reduced and low-salinity compatibility is achieved, but they undergo precipitation when contacted with high-salinity aqueous fluids like brines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the surfactant molecular structure parameters by selecting specific fatty acid chain lengths (C6-C24) and saccharide polymer types to adjust the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. This structural parameter optimization enables the surfactant to maintain solubility and prevent precipitation in high-salinity environments while still achieving low surface tension.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite surfactant system combining the reaction product of fatty acid with saccharide polymer with a neutral surfactant in specific ratios. This composite formulation enhances brine compatibility through synergistic interactions, allowing the system to maintain stability in high-salinity conditions while achieving effective surface tension reduction.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) is fixed by molecular structure, then molecular stability is maintained, but it may not be suitable for specified applications requiring different HLB values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adjustability to the surfactant system by allowing variation in the ratio of reaction product to neutral surfactant, and by selecting different fatty acid chain lengths and saccharide polymer types. This dynamic formulation approach enables tuning of the HLB value to match specific application requirements while maintaining molecular stability of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a universal surfactant platform based on bio-based fatty acids and saccharide polymers that can be adapted to multiple applications by adjusting formulation parameters. The core reaction product serves as a versatile base that can be modified through composition ratios and component selection to achieve different HLB values suitable for various industrial and consumer applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compositions maintain low surface tension and prevent precipitation when exposed to high-salinity conditions, expanding their applicability in industrial and consumer products.
Implementation Method 1
surfactants tend to lower the surface tension at an interface between two components
Implementation Method 2
Amphiphilic compounds having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions within their molecular structure
Implementation Method 3
compositions formed at least in part from biologically sourced materials and that are compatible with high-salinity aqueous fluids, such as various brines
Data Source
AI summary
Surfactant compositions comprising a reaction product of a saccharide polymer and a fatty acid or a fatty ester may be obtained in an aqueous fluid in the presence of a hydroxide base and a neutral surfactant or a reaction product form thereof, the saccharide polymer comprising a dextran, a dextrin compound, or any combination thereof. One or more zwitterionic surfactants may be combined with the surfactant composition in a ratio sufficient to render the resulting combined surfactant composition brine-tolerant, even when both the reaction product and one or more of the zwitterionic surfactant(s) are brine-intolerant. The one or more zwitterionic surfactants may be further selected to render the combined surfactant composition non-emulsifying toward oleaginous fluids.