PROCESSING MIXTURES OF HYDROCARBONS AND WATER

• Main Authors: BARAN, JR. JIMMIE R, SKILDUM JOHN D, WONG HUAY MENG, SURIAATMAJA MARIA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 24.11.2011
• Subjects: ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES AND WAXES; CANDLES; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; CLEANING; CLEANING IN GENERAL; CLEANING OR DEGREASING OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY CHEMICALMETHODS OTHER THAN ELECTROLYSIS; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; DETERGENTS; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; FUELS; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; LUBRICANTS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; RESIN SOAPS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS

A method of facilitating separation of hydrocarbon from a mixture comprising 5 hydrocarbons and water is disclosed. The mixture is exposed to a composition comprising at least certain polymeric surfactants such that at least a portion of the hydrocarbons forms a separate layer from the remaining portion of the mixture. The disclosure further provides a use of certain polymeric surfactants to at least partially separate hydrocarbon from a mixture comprising hydrocarbons and water such that at least a portion of the 10 hydrocarbons forms a separate layer from the remaining portion of the mixture. The disclosure further provides a method of removing a sludge comprising a mixture of petroleum and water from a surface, the method comprising treating the sludge with an amount of a composition comprising certain polymeric surfactants effective to remove the sludge from the surface.