Onium Halide Oil Solubilizer for Marine Cleanup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for oil spill cleanup, such as physical containment and minorly effective chemical use, fail to efficiently remediate oil contamination, particularly in marine environments, as they do not effectively dissolve crude oil in water.
Innovation Solution
The use of onium halides, specifically quaternary phosphonium, sulfonium, ammonium, and nitronium compounds with hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains, to solubilize crude oil in water, allowing it to dissolve and take on the characteristics of seawater, thereby facilitating natural degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional dispersants like COREXIT 9500 are used, then oil is emulsified into water-in-oil emulsions, but the cleanup effectiveness is limited and the oil remains toxic to marine life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the dispersant by using onium halides with specific structures (quaternary phosphonium, sulfonium, ammonium, or nitronium salts) containing hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains. These parameter changes enable the chemical to transform oil into true micellar solutions rather than water-in-oil emulsions, fundamentally altering the cleanup mechanism and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite chemical structures combining hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains (10-24 carbon atoms) with onium halide head groups. This composite structure enables simultaneous interaction with both oil and water phases, creating effective micellar solutions that dissolve oil completely while being biodegradable and non-toxic to marine life.
2Productivity
If physical cleanup methods (burns, containment booms, sorbents, vacuums) are used, then oil can be contained or removed, but the methods are not effective for dissolving crude oil in water
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cleanup methods (burns, booms, sorbents, vacuums) with a chemical solution mechanism. The onium halide chemicals create micellar structures that thermodynamically dissolve oil in water, transforming a mechanical containment approach into a chemical dissolution process that fundamentally removes oil contamination.
3Productivity
If onium halides with hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains are used, then crude oil dissolves instantly in water forming micellar solutions, but the chemical structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing onium halide molecules with distinct functional regions: a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain (10-24 carbons) that interacts with oil and a polar onium halide head group that interacts with water. This local differentiation enables the molecule to bridge oil-water interfaces and form stable micellar solutions, achieving complete dissolution without excessive structural complexity.
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 onium halides instantly dissolve crude oil in water, rendering it non-toxic and easily degradable by natural processes, outperforming traditional methods that only emulsify or disperse oil, and demonstrate safety in toxicity tests.
Implementation Method 1
The onium halide also includes a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms. Sufficient water is provided, if necessary, to allow for dissolution of the crude oil. The use of an onium halide having a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain allows for dissolving spilled crude oil in a marine environment such that the characteristics of the crude petroleum become essentially like the salt water into which it was spilled.
Implementation Method 2
The onium halide instantly dissolve crude oil in water, rendering it non-toxic and easily degradable by natural processes
Data Source
AI summary
The clean-up of crude oil is accomplished using an oil solubilizing agent from a class of onium halides to solubilize the oil in water. The oil solubilizing agent includes a quaternary phosphonium halide, a quaternary ammonium halide, or a ternary sulfonium halide. The onium halide also includes a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain having from 10 to 24 carbon atoms, and can include both aromatic and aliphatic components.