Synthesis of New, Ecologically Safe and Efficient Oil Slick-Collecting and Dispersing Agents Based on Oleic Acid and Its Propoxylation Products

Summary: In this study, the complexes synthesized by reactions of oleic acid separately with ethylenediamine and triethylenetetramine were reacted with different moles of propylene oxide to form propoxylated compounds. The obtained propoxylated compounds were characterized by a number of physico-chemical methods. The physical properties of the synthesized surfactants including interfacial tension and critical micelle concentration were determined. From thesemeasurements, themaximum surface excess concentration and the minimum area per molecule at the water solution/ kerosene interface and the standard thermodynamic parameters of adsorption and micellization were calculated. Petroleum-collecting and dispersing properties of the synthesized propoxylated complexes in diluted and undiluted form inwaters of varying salinity have been studied. FTIR spectra, C13 and H1-NMR spectra confirm these complex structures.