Single Oil Research Articles

Single essential oils and their binary mixtures protect against ethanol-induced defects in a zebrafish fetal alcohol spectrum disorder model at the same level as folic acid

This study evaluated protective effects of clove (SEO), thyme white (TEO), oregano (OEO), and caraway (CEO) essential oils (EOs), and their binary mixtures, in a zebrafish fetal alcohol spectrum disorder model. Furthermore, folic acid (FA) was used for comparison as it had previously shown protection against ethanol (EtOH)-induced defects. The co-exposure of zebrafish embryos to EtOH (150 mM) and FA (75 μM) or EOs and their binary mixtures (0.5-1 mg/L) was carried out during 6 or 22 hours postfertilization (hpf). Different developmental endpoints (epiboly measurement, survival rate at 24 hpf, embryonic developmental progression measurement at 24 hpf, larval development at 48-96 hpf, and hatching rate at 72-96 hpf) were evaluated at 8-96 hpf. EtOH exposure reduced epiboly. Only FA and the SEO + TEO binary mixture protected against these defects, and SEO and TEO single exposure showed partial protection. Therefore, these groups were chosen for subsequent experiments. At 24 hpf, EtOH showed developmental delay and hatching rate was delayed at 72 hpf. FA, SEO, TEO, and SEO + TEO partially protected against these defects. This study supports the conclusion that FA partially protects against EtOH-induced defects. SEO and TEO single exposure partially protect against EtOH-induced defects. However, the binary mixture of SEO + TEO was more effective, showing similar efficacy as FA.

Positive effects of a mixture of fish oil and soybean oil as a dietary lipid source on the ovarian development and health of female giant river prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii broodstock

Lipids are key nutrients that affect the development of the ovary in aquatic animals. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different lipid sources on the ovarian development and health of Macrobrachium rosenbergii broodstock. The M. rosenbergii broodstock, with an initial body weight of 8.07±0.74 g, were fed diets containing 5 % fish oil (FO), soya bean oil (SO), rapeseed oil (RO), coconut oil (CO), and a 1:1 mixture of fish oil and soybean oil (MO) as lipid sources for a period of 56 days. The results indicated that there were no significant differences in survival rate (SR) and hepatopancreatic index (HSI) among the different groups (P > 0.05). However, the specific growth rate (SGR) and gonadosomatic index (GSI) in the MO group were significantly higher than other groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, fatty acid levels in diets directly influenced the fatty acid composition of prawn hepatopancreas, showing a similar trend to that observed in the diet itself. Furthermore, compared to the other trial groups, haemolymph levels of 17-β estradiol (E2) and progesterone (PROG) were significantly increased in the MO group (P < 0.05). The ovarian section also exhibited better histomorphology and larger oocyte diameter in this group. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity was significantly increased in the MO group (P < 0.05). Saturated fatty acids in RO and CO groups could promote the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes fatty acid synthase (fas) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acc), concurrently suppressing the expression of lipid catabolism-related genes acyl-CoA oxidase-1 (acox-1) and AMP-activated protein kinase alpha (ampkα) (P < 0.05). Conversely, polyunsaturated fatty acids in the MO group significantly up-regulated the expression levels of fatty acid binding protein-3 (fabp-3) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (pparγ) (P < 0.05). Based on the findings of hepatopancreatic tissue structure, it was determined that the use of a single vegetable oil resulted in some damage to the hepatopancreatic tissue structure of M. rosenbergii broodstock, leading to increased oxidative stress. In conclusion, it is recommended that a 1:1 mixture of fish oil and soybean oil be used as a dietary lipid source to effectively meet the nutritional requirements during the ovarian development period of M. rosenbergii broodstock. This combination also enhances antioxidant properties, promotes the synthesis of haemolymph steroid hormones and lipid metabolism in female prawns, thereby facilitating ovarian development and overall health of M. rosenbergii broodstock.

Technology and Research on Improving Oil Recovery by Volume Fracturing with Phase Change Permeability in Ultra-low Permeability Reservoirs

Abstract The conventional water injection development production wells in ultra-low permeability reservoirs have low efficiency, low production and low liquid content, and poor economic benefits. Traditional water drive development techniques are difficult to adapt to the requirements of economically effective development in ultra-low permeability reservoirs. Therefore, it is urgent to adjust development ideas and transform water injection development methods. A major development experiment was carried out in the Y284 area of Huaqing Oilfield to transform the water injection development method. Based on the mechanism of reverse osmosis flooding in oil recovery wells, this article uses dynamic monitoring technologies such as downhole microseismic to achieve three-dimensional reservoir transformation, and establishes a large-scale fracturing technology of “collaborative permeability flooding, volume fracturing, and multi-stage temporary plugging” for reverse osmosis wells in ultra-low permeability reservoirs. Research has shown that large-scale fracturing technology for water injection wells can improve single well oil recovery speed by increasing the complexity of fracture networks. The important factors affecting the effectiveness of water injection wells include reservoir properties, fracturing transformation scale, cumulative water injection volume, remaining oil distribution, and heterogeneity of aquifers. At the same time, the construction parameters of large-scale volume fracturing for water injection wells, namely 140-170m, are quantitatively determined based on the actual situation of the mining field &amp;sup3; The amount of sand added, a sand ratio of 17-22%, and a large displacement of 8-10m3/min, 1400-2000m &amp;sup3; The amount of liquid entering the ground can most effectively achieve the conditions for reservoir transformation. The conclusion is that large-scale fracturing technology for conversion wells provides technical support for volume fracturing and optimization design of fracturing parameters for low production wells in ultra-low permeability reservoirs, and can provide guidance and reference for the efficient development of other similar ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Determination of Fracturing Risk-Units base on seismic and micro-seismic

Abstract During hydraulic fracturing, unconventional oil and gas reservoirs often encounter risks, such as fracturing casing deformation, which affects the efficiency and effectiveness of fracturing. We can accurately identify the location of fracturing risks by using logging data and seismic data. However, we cannot avoid the occurrence of risks, and the location of deformation may be in the un-fractured stage, which is relatively far from the already fractured stage. In severe cases, it is necessary to merge or discard the un-fractured stage of the casing deformation, which will inevitably affect the fracturing effect and production. Therefore, it is particularly important to effectively divide risk units, optimize the sequence of fracturing in the stage, and reduce the impact of risk occurrence. In order to reduce the impact, the author proposes a method to determine risk-units. Firstly, before hydraulic fracturing, seismic data is used to interpret faults and determine risk-units based on the connectivity of faults. Then, during hydraulic fracturing, micro-seismic events are applied to explain artificial faults, optimize the connectivity of faults, and determine risk-units. Finally, based on the risk-units, determine the sequence of fracturing, the stage within the same risk-units should be subjected to hydraulic fracturing as the same batch, after all stages within the same risk-units are fractured, the stages of next risk-units can be carried out. The method proposed by this paper has been applied in zipper fracturing, which can effectively reduce the impact of casing deformation. After the application of this method, the deformation only occurs in the fractured stage or near the un-fractured stage, thus significantly reducing the impact on the un-fractured stage. However, due to the complexity of geological structure and stress transmission, the stages may also have mutual influence, located within different risk-units. Therefore, how to optimize the sequence of fracturing based on risk-units is a topic that needs further-deepening research. This paper innovatively proposes a method for determining fracturing risk-units based on seismic and micro-seismic data to optimize the sequence of fracturing in zipper fracturing, this is of great significance for improving fracturing efficiency, improving fracturing effectiveness, and increasing single well oil and gas production.

Hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in buried hills based on quantitative fluorescence techniques, fluid inclusion, and 1D basin modeling: Shulu sag, Bohai Bay basin, NE China

Interpreting the hydrocarbon generation, migration, and accumulation process is significant for understanding hydrocarbon evolution and finding exploration targets. The buried hills of Shulu Sag exhibit great potential for hydrocarbon exploration. However, the variations observed in different oil reservoirs highlight the complexity of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in this region. In this study, 1D basin modeling, fluid inclusion analysis, and quantitative fluorescence techniques were used to investigate the thermal maturation history of the source rock, the timing of hydrocarbon charging, the pathway of hydrocarbon migration, and the oil-water contact. Hydrocarbons in the buried hills in the Western Slope and Paleo-uplift are derived from the source rocks at the edge and center of the sag, respectively, which have different thermal maturation histories. The source rocks in the center of the sag mainly supply hydrocarbons to the Paleo-uplift through faults, while the hydrocarbons generated from the source rocks in the edge of the sag can be rapidly transported to the Western Slope through clast-supported terrigenous carbonate rudstone. Differences in oil sources result in different hydrocarbon charging histories for the Western Slope and Paleo-uplift. The Western Slope experienced a single low-mature oil charging event at 5-0 Ma, while the Paleo-uplift encountered two hydrocarbon charging events, including low-mature oil charging at 35-25 Ma and high-mature oil charging at 5-0 Ma. As a result of secondary changes controlled by the hydrological environment, the oil reservoirs in the Western Slope have undergone varying degrees of adjustment or even destruction, resulting in variations in the oil quality of different buried hills. The results provide a detailed understanding of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in the study area, which can be used as a reference for hydrocarbon exploration.

Study on the influence of oils on the formation of liquid crystal structure of hydrogenated lecithin system

ABSTRACT Hydrogenated lecithin (HLC) is a liquid crystal emulsifier which can be oriented at the oil-water interface to form a long-range ordered and short-range disordered liquid crystal (LC) structure. In this study, the effects of oils commonly used in cosmetics (white oil, squalane, caprylic/capric triglyceride, Jojoba seed oil, shea butter) on the formation of LC structure for HLC system were investigated. The results showed that the numerous LCs was formed when the mass ratio of cetostearyl alcohol/HLC exceeded 8/2 in a single oil system. Among them, the liquid crystals formed by white oil and shea butter were more orderly. Meanwhile, the content of different oils also had a certain impact on the amount of liquid crystal. In this regard, the influence of compound oil system on liquid crystal was further studied by regulating the proportion and type of oils. It was found that the LC area was the largest and the LC structures were relatively regular when squalane/caprylic/capric triglyceride/shea butter was compounded. This study provided certain experimental basis and references for the development of LC emulsion formulations of hydrogenated lecithin system.

Study on organic carbon in medium-low mature shale oil reservoirs rich in type II kerogen: Oxidation behavior, thermal effect, and kinetics

In-situ combustion technology (ISC) was a potential technology for efficient development of medium–low maturity shale oil reservoirs. Clarifying the exothermic behavior of organic carbon oxidation will be beneficial for better control of ISC processes. In this work, the organic carbon composition, type II kerogen and residual oil, were separated and extracted from the shale samples of typical medium–low maturity shale oil reservoirs in the Ordos Basin, China. The synchronous thermal analyzer and mass spectrometry (STA-MS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ROCK-EVAL VI were used to study the products, heat release, and functional group changes of type II kerogen, residual oil, and shale during the oxidation process. The results indicated that the oxidation heat release of shale mainly came from the oxidation reaction between its residual oil and type II kerogen, but the oxidation heat release range of shale was relatively lagging compared to the single residual oil or type II kerogen affected by rock debris. Secondly, under atmospheric pressure, the type II kerogen experiences obviously higher heat release than residual oil and heavy oil, indicating its superior potential of in-situ heat release. In addition, the major productions that CO, H2O, SO2, and CO2 were quantitatively characterized, with CO2 having the highest production of 882.25 mg/g. Furthermore, combined with the molecular weight, an oxidation reaction equation of type II kerogen was constructed. Finally, the oxidation kinetics parameters of type II kerogen, residual oil, and shale were determined using Friedman and Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) models. It was found that the activation energy of shale was higher than II kerogen and residual in low temperature oxidation (LTO) and fuel deposition (FD) stages. This may be due to the joint reaction between kerogen and residual oil, thus exacerbating the challenge of shale in-situ ignition. However, due to the catalytic effect of rock debris, the activation energy of shale was lower than LTO in high temperature oxidation (HTO) stage, indicating that once fuel deposition was completed, organic carbon will undergo stable combustion. This study has theoretical guidance for the numerical simulation research of ISC development technology of maturity-low shale oil reservoirs.

Feature selection before propositionalization of multi-source oil drilling data

Despite recent improvements in collected drilling data quality and volume, the actual number of wells being used in studies remain low and are often limited to a single source and oil field, producing results that are prone to overfitting and are non-transferable. In our study, we access oil drilling data from 5 of more than 20 oil drilling companies collected from 2005 to 2016 from our industrial partner to create well drilling duration models for well planning. This project could lead to the creation of more generalized models from larger datasets than others in literature. However, the data is difficult to process without expert knowledge, further complicated by properties such as unharmonized, source-locked, semantic heterogeneity, sparse and unlabelled. Conventional automated methods for feature selection, propositionalization, multi-source, or block-wise missing techniques could not be used. In this paper, we describe our method to assist the Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) Selection stage of the abovementioned data - Feature Selection before Propositionalization (FSbP) via Database Attribute Health Feature Reduction (DAHFR) and Report Feature Correlation Matrix (RFCM), collectively known as FvDR. DAHFR and RFCM are filter-type feature selection techniques that could measure relational missingness and keyword correlations respectively despite the complexity of multi-source oil drilling data. FvDR successfully reduced the scope from 700 tables containing 20,000 columns to 22 tables containing fewer than 707 columns while successfully selecting 13 of 16 relevant tables suggested by literature. Despite the loss of information from limitations of subsequent KDD procedures, preliminary models show promising results with over half the test predictions falling within the 20% error margin required for well planning. FvDR proves to be indispensable in KDD as a FSbP framework as it reduces features for examination and streamlines the research process necessary to understand business rules for data harmonization and propositionalization.

Analysis and optimization design of internal pressure resistance of flexible composite pipe

Flexible composite pipes have the advantages of light weight, corrosion resistance, scale resistance, and low cost compared to carbon steel pipes, and have attracted much attention in the application of onshore oil and gas gathering and transportation systems. Understanding the relationship between the pressure-bearing mechanical properties of composite pipes and their structural characteristics is crucial for guiding their process application. To investigate the mechanical behavior of flexible composite pipes under internal pressure loads, discrete and combined finite element models were established to analyze the stress-strain characteristics of flexible composite pipes. The bursting strength was predicted, and the influence of winding angle and number of reinforcement layers on the pressure-bearing capacity of flexible composite pipes was revealed. The applicability of the two models in the analysis of internal pressure resistance of flexible composite pipes was evaluated using whole pipe strain testing and instantaneous hydrostatic burst experiments. The results showed that the reinforcement layer is the main pressure-bearing layer of flexible composite pipes, and the innermost reinforcement layer bears the highest pressure. The pressure-bearing capacity of flexible composite pipes significantly increases when the winding angle is greater than 53°, and the increase in pressure-bearing capacity slows down when the number of reinforcement layers exceeds 3. Under the combination model, the strain and bursting strength of flexible composite pipes were closer to the experimental results. The study clearly defines the stress-strain characteristics of flexible composite pipes under internal pressure load and the impact of process parameters, providing a basis for the optimization design of single well oil transmission pipelines in Xinjiang oilfield.

Unique formulation of edible blended oil from sesame and mustard seeds grown in Bangladesh

Edible oils are vulnerable to oxidation-induced degradation, leading to off-flavors, carcinogenic products, and reduced nutritional content. This work aimed to prepare a blended oil (BO) from indigenous mustard and sesame seeds to extend the oil’s shelf life and boost its nutritional value. Four blends were formulated with sesame oil (SO) and mustard oil (MO) in the ratios of SO50:MO50, SO60:MO40, SO70:MO30 and SO80:MO20. GCMS analyses showed that the SO80:MO20 blend had an erucic acid content of 4.22 %, which is below the internationally accepted limit of 5 %, and an ideal fatty acid ratio of 1:1.3:1; saturated fatty acid (SFA): monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA): polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), close to the WHO/FAO permissible limit. The blend SO80:MO20 was then assessed and related to single oil. The physicochemical properties of the blended oil were superior to those of the individual oils. BO exhibited higher levels of lignan (48.96 %) and tocopherol (13.58 %) than SO (48.89 % and 12.74 %) and MO (0.24 % and 6.22 %). Additionally, BO’s sterol content was 18.7 %, surpassing SO’s 14.7 % but falling short of MO’s 21.13 %. Moreover, BO’s flash point (318 °C) closely resembled that of SO (320 °C) and MO (316 °C). Aflatoxin and trace metal levels were detected and found to be well below than permitted ranges. The blend had a total antioxidantcapacity of 95 % with an IC50 value of 0.575 mg/mL, which was higher than that of the individual oils andcomparable to standards. Over 180 days of storage at room temperature, the moisture content, refractive index, free fatty acids, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, saponification value, iodine value, and totox value of the BO showed a slower increase compared to the individual oils. The estimated fatty acid ratio and enriched antioxidant in the blended oil enhanced its stability and nutritional potency over the individual oils. The results of this work may represent Bangladesh’s first unique oil blend composition.

Nanoscopic wetting behaviour of single oil droplets on a fibre

Multiphase fluids that contain dispersed oil droplets are fundamental to many industrial processes and formulated products. In the present work, the surface wetting and interaction between an emulsion droplet and a single fibre were quantitatively investigated as a function of surfactant chemistry, pH, and salt concentration using an optical tweezers apparatus. Silicone droplets were emulsified in water and stabilised by surfactants. An individual droplet was captured using an optical tweezers setup to allow a controlled contact with a fibre surface. During the approach process, the surface interaction was measured and spreading behaviour was quantified after contact was made between the droplet and fibre. Salt concentration was increased to change the surface interaction behaviour. The pH and ζ-potential of silicone emulsions decreased from 9.5 to 6.0 and from 39 mV to − 15 mV, respectively, when increasing salt concentration for both of the surfactants studied, SDS and CTAB. The attraction between the fibre and a silicone oil droplet was found to increase as the electrostatic repulsion was suppressed with an increased salt concentration. This was confirmed by an increased number of droplet-fibre adhesion events and in some cases droplet spreading on the fibre. Such observations for adhesion are based on electrostatic attractions exceeding the maximum force that can be exerted by the trapping laser. When adhesion was not observed, attraction could still be recorded through a thin-film hydrodynamic suction effect during the process of retraction, which becomes more pronounced on the polyester fibre. Our results provide a novel method to directly quantify the surface interaction and wetting of liquid droplets on microscopic fibres simultaneously, which could be valuable when investigating formulated products that involve emulsion droplets.

OIL FAMILIES AND GEOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DEVONIAN OILS AT THE RECHITSA FIELD, PRIPYAT BASIN, BELARUS

The sedimentary column at the Rechitsa oilfield in the Pripyat rift basin, Belarus, is dominated by an Upper Devonian synrift succession. The succession includes uppermost Frasnian and mid‐Famennian salt units which are about 1000 m and 2000 m thick respectively. Reservoir rocks consist of sandstones and carbonates in the intra‐, inter‐ and sub‐salt successions. In this paper, the geochemical analysis of 15 oil samples from different stratigraphic intervals at the Rechitsa field is used as a basis for reservoir characterisation. Geochemical studies included biomarker and stable C, N and S isotope analyses.Four genetic oil groups were identified and are referred to as Groups A to D. Oils in Group A came from upper intra‐ and inter‐salt reservoir rocks; the oils are early mature, enriched in heavy (C36+) hydrocarbons, heteroatoms, aryl‐isoprenoids and gammacerane, with low Pr/Ph = 0.6 and a sulphur isotope composition averaging 22.7‰ CDT. Oils in Group B were from sub‐salt reservoirs and are at peak maturity with Pr/Ph = 1, an increased proportion of C27 regular steranes, and a sulphur isotope composition of 8.1‰ CDT. The single oil sample in Group C was from a Proterozoic reservoir. The oil was overmature with a low content of heavy fractions, heteroatoms and steranes; its hopanes composition indicated that it was generated by the same source rock as the oils in Group B. Oils in Group D came from inter‐salt reservoir rocks and were composed of a mixture of Groups A and B oils in roughly equal proportions, as indicated by their average isotope, molecular and biomarker compositions.Observed differences in oil composition were explained in terms of contributions from at least two different source rocks together with variations in source rock maturity. Group A oils were interpreted to have been generated by Famennian carbonate‐rich source rocks containing dominantly marine and bacterial organic matter deposited in an anoxic evaporitic setting. Source rocks for Groups B and C oils were suggested to be composed of OM‐rich marine shales of Frasnian age or older.The geochemical characteristics of the Devonian oils from Rechitsa field, and the oil‐oil and oil‐ source rock correlations reported, will contribute to a better understanding of the petroleum system in the Pripyat Basin although direct oil‐ source rock correlations are not yet available. The presence of at least two source rocks for the Rechitsa oils has been suggested, respectively comprising carbonates in the inter‐salt succession and marine shales and/or carbonates in the sub‐salt succession. The main controls on oil composition in the Devonian reservoir units were the varying contributions from the different source rocks and differences in source rock thermal maturity associated with variations in burial depth and tectonics, together with the stratigraphic distribution of reservoir units which was in turn controlled by the presence of the thick Frasnian and Famennian salt units.

Energy recoveries and heavy metal migration behaviors of different oily sludges treated by pyrolysis versus solvent extraction

The pyrolysis and trace element mitigation characteristics are investigated by contrast to solvent extraction for four oily sludges, including storage tank bottom sediment (OS-1), scum from a wastewater separator (OS-2), white-clay-adsorbed waste oil (OS-3), and settlings from wastewater treatment (OS-4). Slow pyrolysis at 700 °C generated a single oil phase for OS-1 and separate oil and aqueous phases for OS-2, OS-3 and OS-4. Up to 73.0–88.3 % of the total energy were recovered from OS-1, OS-2 and OS-3 in the oil phase with 19.9–77.1 % oil yield; however, the oil phase from OS-4 accounted for only 13.3 % of the total energy, while the aqueous product accounted for 68.0 % of the total energy. Quantification of 16 trace elements revealed that OS-2 and OS-4 had much higher contents of Cu/Zn/As/Se/Cd/Pb and Ni/Cu/Zn/Se/Cd contents than the average crustal abundances, respectively. Correlations between evaporation and extraction rates indicated that the mitigation behaviors of trace elements were related to their occurrence modes in different oily sludges. Except for Cd, As and Se, all other trace elements were enriched in the pyrolysis residues of the oily sludges. Ni in the pyrolysis residue of OS-4 posed a moderate potential ecological risk.

Rapid quantification of single component oil in perilla oil blends by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy combined with chemometrics

As a unconventional oil, perilla oil is much more expensive than conventional oils since it has the highest content of α-linolenic acid among vegetable oils. Thus the adulteration of perilla oil is serious, which needs to be solved. In this study, the single component oil in perilla oil blends were first quantitatively analyzed by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy combined with chemometric methods. Soybean oil and palm oil were added into perilla oil to form binary and ternary perilla oil blends. Partial least squares (PLS), back propagation-artificial neural network (BP-ANN), support vector regression (SVR) and extreme learning machine (ELM) were compared and the best model was selected for calibration. In order to improve the prediction performance of the calibration model, ten preprocessing methods and five variable selection methods were investigated. Results show that PLS was the best calibration method for binary and ternary perilla oil blends. For binary perilla oil blends, the correlation coefficients of prediction (Rp) obtained by PLS were both above 0.99, which does not need preprocessing and variable selection. For ternary perilla oil blends, after the best continuous wavelet transform (CWT) preprocessing and discretized whale optimization algorithm (WOA) variable selection, the Rp values obtained by the best model CWT-WOA-PLS were all above 0.97. This research provides a common framework for calibration of perilla oil blends, which maybe a promising method for quality control of perilla oil in industry.

Design and Optimization of Disc Oil Skimmer

Abstract: Oil Spills are a common phenomenon in the oceans and seas causing economic loss as well as loss of aquatic life. Oil skimmers are devices used to separate the oil from water and recover it to the maximum extent possible. This project focuses on material selection for oil skimmer discs, considering corrosion resistance, wear characteristics, cost-efficiency, and environmental impact. It explores common materials such as polyurethane, oleophilic materials, stainless steel, PVC, and aluminum, emphasizing their unique properties and environmental implications. By conducting a thorough literature review and establishing stringent material selection criteria, the project aims to inform a material choice that balances technical requirements with environmental responsibility. The exploration of advanced materials and optimization of material design are also discussed. The project anticipates enhancing oil skimmer efficiency, reducing maintenance needs, and promoting sustainable practices in environmental protection. The project further includes building a prototype of a single disc oil skimmer and find an ideal diameter for efficient oil skimming taking into consideration the mass of the disc as well as the overall oil skimmer.

Comparison of Methods Used to Investigate Coalescence in Emulsions.

We present a study of moderately stable dilute emulsions. These emulsions are models for water contaminated by traces of oil encountered in many water treatment situations. The purification of water and the elimination of oil rely on the emulsion stability. Despite actively being studied, the topic of emulsion stability is still far from being fully understood. In particular, it is still unclear whether experimental methods accessing different length scales lead to the same conclusions. In the study presented in this paper, we have used different methods to characterize the emulsions, such as centrifugation and simple bottle tests, as well as investigations of the collision of single macroscopic oil drops at an oil-water interface. We studied different emulsions containing added polymer or surfactant. In the case of added polymer, centrifugation and single drop experiments led to opposite trends in stability when the polymer concentration is varied. In the case of added surfactant, both centrifugation and single drop experiments show a maximum stability when the surfactant concentration is increased, whereas bottle tests show a monotonous increase in stability. We propose tentative interpretations of these unexpected observations. The apparent contradictions are due to the fact that different methods require different drop sizes or different drop concentrations. The puzzling decrease in emulsion stability at a higher surfactant concentration observed with some methods, however, remains unclear. This coalescence study illustrates the fact that different results can be obtained when different experimental methods are used. It is therefore advisable not to rely on a single method, especially in the case of emulsions of limited stability for reasons explained in the paper.

Determination of Limonene Chirality in Oils Obtained from Different Types of Citrus Waste Peels in Türkiye

Limonene constitutes a significant amount in citrus oils. It has a chiral structure and has two different optically active isomers, R-limonene and S-limonene, which are symmetrical to each other. Determining the chiral configurations of limonene plays an important role in determining the beneficial use areas of essential oils. Citrus oils are used in a wide variety of industrial areas, depending on their limonene content. This paper presents the analytical method optimization, validation, and chirality studies of limonene in the citrus oils acquired from different citrus waste peels in Türkiye. An inlet temperature of 250 °C and an injection volume of 2 µL were decided as the optimal conditions for the most accurate measurement of both limonenes in the citrus oil. This method produced results for linearity, sensitivity (LODs and LOQs), repeatability, and reproducibility that were acceptable within the scope of the validation studies. The chirality of limonene was investigated in twenty-six citrus oils (fifteen orange oils, six lemon oils, four mandarin oils, and one grapefruit oil) in Türkiye. While the content of R-limonene in orange oil varied between 56.39% and 72.85%, the content of S-limonene changed from 2.53% to 5.71%. Whereas the constituent of R-limonene in lemon oils ranged from 54.73% to 73.99%, the content of S-limonene varied between 3.78-4.79%. In mandarin oils, the content of R-limonene was determined to be 58.02% and 65.05%, while the content of S-limonene was found as 3.05% and 4.87%. In single grapefruit oil, R-limonene content was 60.69% and S-limonene content was 3.12%.

Pseudo-Eulerian model formulation for the determination of breakage frequency and daughter size distribution: Single droplet breakup experiments in turbulent flow

The study of breakage of single oil droplet in a turbulent flow is experimentally performed by means of direct visualization using high-speed imaging. A comparison of two different approaches for estimation of the breakage frequency is presented using the same set of experimental data. The first approach, estimates the breakage frequency based on the estimation of the averaged breakage time and breakage probability calculation based on single oil breakage experiments. The second approach consists in combining and superposing the different measurements into one population of droplets, to investigate the evolution of the size distribution of droplets emulating a pseudo-Eulerian representation. Using this approach, the breakage frequency can be estimated by following the evolution of the number of droplets of a particular size. We found that the pseudo-Eulerian approach is more accurate for construction of closure model for the implementation of population balance equation.

Design of three-component essential oil extract mixture from Cymbopogon flexuosus, Carum carvi, and Acorus calamus with enhanced antioxidant activity

The development of novel antioxidant compounds with high efficacy and low toxicity is of utmost importance in the medicine and food industries. Moreover, with increasing concerns about the safety of synthetic components, scientists are beginning to search for natural sources of antioxidants, especially essential oils (EOs). The combination of EOs may produce a higher scavenging profile than a single oil due to better chemical diversity in the mixture. Therefore, this exploratory study aims to assess the antioxidant activity of three EOs extracted from Cymbopogon flexuosus, Carum carvi, and Acorus calamus in individual and combined forms using the augmented-simplex design methodology. The in vitro antioxidant assays were performed using DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging approaches. The results of the Chromatography Gas-Mass spectrometry (CG-MS) characterization showed that citral (29.62%) and niral (27.32%) are the main components for C. flexuosus, while d-carvone (62.09%) and d-limonene (29.58%) are the most dominant substances in C. carvi. By contrast, β-asarone (69.11%) was identified as the principal component of A. calamus (30.2%). The individual EO exhibits variable scavenging activities against ABTS and DPPH radicals. These effects were enhanced through the mixture of the three EOs. The optimal antioxidant formulation consisted of 20% C. flexuosus, 53% C. carvi, and 27% A. calamus for DPPHIC50. Whereas 17% C. flexuosus, 43% C. carvi, and 40% A. calamus is the best combination leading to the highest scavenging activity against ABTS radical. These findings suggest a new research avenue for EOs combinations to be developed as novel natural formulations useful in food and biopharmaceutical products.

A comparison of indigenous vegetable oils and their blends with optimal fatty acid ratio

Oil blending is a trendy method of retaining their visual appeal, which also enhances their quality, stability, and nutritional content. The significance of this study lies in its pioneering approach towards determining the optimal fatty acid ratio through the blending of oils extracted from Bangladeshi origin rice bran, sesame seed, and mustard seed. Three blends were prepared, consisting of unrefined rice bran oil (RBO), unrefined mustard oil (MO), and partially refined sesame oil (SO) in different proportions: 70:20:10, 50:30:20, and 30:40:30, respectively. GC-MS (Gas Chromatogram-Mass Spectrometer) analyses revealed that the 50:30:20 (RBO:MO:SO) blend preserved the optimal ratio of fatty acids, 1:2:1; Saturated fatty acids (SFA): mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA): poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which closely matched the WHO/FAO standards. This blend was further evaluated and compared with each individual oil. Compared to the individual oils, the blended oil demonstrated superior physicochemical qualities. The blend of 50:30:20 (RBO:MO:SO) had a total antioxidant content of 96.046±0.11 %, with an IC50 value of 0.518±0.20 mg/mL. This value was much greater than that of the single oils and on par with standards BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) (97.589±0.40 %) and BHA ((butylated hydroxyanisole) (96.528±0.83 %). Density, viscosity, acid value, peroxide value, p-anisidine value, saponification value, iodine value, totox value, and color values of blended oil exhibited a slow rise in comparison to other individual vegetable oils under deep frying. The intended fatty acid ratio in the designed oil contributed to improved durability and nutritional potency compared to the individual oils, making it a potentially commercially feasible edible oil. By focusing on indigenous sources, the study aims to harness the unique properties of these oils to create blends that align with the dietary needs and preferences of the local population.