Using poly(acrylamide‐co‐lauric acid) to remediate oil spills on water

Abstract

AbstractMany methods have been used to reduce the destructive impact of oil spills on the environment. Herding agents added to the periphery of an oil slick cause it to contract into a thicker oil layer with a more uniform thickness covering a much smaller area, thus making it easier to remove the oil by mechanical means or by in situ burning. In this article, we evaluated how a series of poly(acrylamide‐co‐lauric acid) copolymers performed as chemical herders for oil spills. These polymers were tested with diluted bitumen spilled on fresh and artificial seawater. An increase in oil slick thickness of 363% was observed for the copolymer made with an acrylamide/lauric acid ratio of 70/30 in less than 10 min for a loading of 5 g polymer/100 g diluted bitumen. In addition, the final thickness of about 3.0 mm was higher than the requirement to initiate and maintain in situ burning. These easy‐to‐make and inexpensive poly(acrylamide‐co‐lauric acid) copolymers are attractive compounds for the remediation of oil spills.