New Hydrocarbon Bioproducts: Searching for Effective Methods for Their Removal from Water in the Event of a Spill

Abstract

The petrochemical industry produces chemicals that form the basis for a wide range of products that are crucial to our daily lives. In particular, aromatic hydrocarbons (including BTX: benzene, toluene and xylene) are very important petrochemical raw materials. In many cases, hydrocarbon products, obtained from fossil fuels such as crude oil, can be acquired from alternative carbon feedstock like biomass. One example can be the production of aromatic biohydrocarbons from ethyl alcohol previously obtained from plants. However, it should be noted that these bioproducts can pose a threat to the environment during transport and storage similar to those caused by crude oil. Especially, when they leak and seep into the water. In this regard, the question arises of whether oil dispersants, which can be one of the manners of response ways in aquatic environments affected by crude oil spills, are also effective in the case of leaks of these liquid hydrocarbon bioproducts? The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the EXOdis OS6 dispersant in the dispersion of liquid aromatic biohydrocarbons (Ekobenz Sp. z o.o., Poland) in a 3.3% NaCl solution and in Baltic Sea water. For comparative purposes, the effectiveness of this dispersant in dispersing crude oil from the Grabownica, Magdalena and Wańkowa reservoirs (Carpathians, Poland) was also presented. The study was conducted using the “baffled flask test” research procedure. The aromatic biohydrocarbons and crude oil content in the water was determined by UV-Vis spectroscopy. Furthermore, this study used infrared spectroscopy to examine the effect of dispersant use on the interaction of tested aromatic biohydrocarbons with kaolinite, a clay mineral that can be a component of marine bottom sediments.