Application and development of demulsifier

Abstract

Demulsifier is a kind of chemical used to destroy the stability of emulsion, which is widely used in petroleum industry, wastewater treatment, food industry, pharmaceutical and other fields. In this paper, the classification, mechanism of action, application fields, influencing factors and research progress of demulsifiers are discussed in detail, and the future development direction is prospected. The application and technical progress of demulsifier are systematically analyzed to provide reference for research and application in related fields.

1. Introduction

Emulsion is a common system in many industrial processes, and its stability directly affects the efficiency of production and processing. As a chemical that can destroy the stability of emulsions, demulsifiers play an important role in improving production efficiency and quality control. In this paper, the definition, classification, mechanism of action, application field, influencing factors, research progress and future development direction of demulsifier are discussed in detail.

2. Basic concept and classification of demulsifier

2.1 Definition of demulsifier

Demulsifiers are a class of chemical substances that can disrupt the stability of emulsions (emulsions), causing them to separate into two or multiple phases. Emulsion is usually composed of dispersed phase (oil droplets) and continuous phase (water), through the action of demulsifier, the oil droplets of dispersed phase can be condensed, aggregated and finally separated, so as to achieve the purpose of dehydration, deoiling or purification.

2.2 Classification of demulsifier

According to the chemical composition and mechanism of action of demulsifier, demulsifier can be divided into the following categories:

** cationic demulsifier ** : containing positively charged groups, suitable for negatively charged emulsions.
** Anionic demulsifier ** : containing negatively charged groups, suitable for positively charged emulsions.
** Non-ionic demulsifier ** : no charge, suitable for all types of emulsions.
** Zwitterionic demulsifier ** : containing both positive and negative charge groups, suitable for emulsions with large pH changes.

3. Mechanism of demulsifier

Demulsifier destroys the stability of emulsion through different mechanisms, including physical demulsifier, chemical demulsifier and biological demulsifier.

3.1 Physical demulsification mechanism

The physical demulsification mechanism mainly changes the structure of the emulsion by physical means to make it lose its stability. Common physical demulsification methods include:

** Heating ** : Increase the temperature of the emulsion, reduce the interfacial tension of the dispersed phase and the continuous phase, and promote the accumulation and separation of oil droplets.
** Ultrasonic treatment ** : Through the action of ultrasonic, the oil droplets collide with each other and gather, thereby destroying the stability of the emulsion.
** Electric field action ** : The use of high voltage electric field to make the oil droplets in the emulsion charged and move and gather under the action of the electric field to achieve the effect of breaking milk.

3.2 Chemical demulsification mechanism

The mechanism of chemical demulsification is through the reaction of chemical agents (demulsifiers) with stabilizers or emulsifiers in the emulsion to destroy its stability. It mainly includes:

** Neutralization reaction ** : The cation or anion in the demulsifier reacts with the emulsifier in the emulsion to generate an insoluble precipitate, thereby destroying the stability of the emulsion.
** Polymerization reaction ** : Through the polymerization reaction, the demulsifier forms a macromolecular polymer, which is adsorbed on the surface of the oil droplet, so that it can gather and separate.
** REDOX reaction ** : Demulsifier destroys the emulsifier structure in the emulsion through REDOX reaction, making it lose stability.

3.3 biological demulsification mechanism

Biological demulsification mechanism is to degrade or change the emulsifier structure in the emulsion through the action of biological enzymes or microorganisms, thus destroying its stability. It mainly includes:

** Enzymatic hydrolysis ** : The use of biological enzymes to degrade the emulsifier in the emulsion, so that it loses its stability.
** Microbial degradation ** : The use of microorganisms to metabolize the emulsifier in the emulsion, destroy its structure, so as to achieve the effect of breaking milk.

4. Application field of demulsifier

Demulsifier is widely used in petroleum industry, wastewater treatment, food industry, pharmaceutical and other fields because of its excellent performance in destroying the stability of emulsion.

4.1 Petroleum industry

In the process of oil exploitation and processing, crude oil often exists in the form of emulsion, which requires demulsifier to be dehydrated to improve the purity and quality of crude oil. In addition, in the petroleum refining process, demulsifiers are also needed to separate petroleum products from water.

4.2 Wastewater treatment

The wastewater produced in the industrial production process often contains emulsion, which needs to be treated with demulsifier to remove grease and other organic matter in the water and meet environmental discharge standards. The application of demulsifier in wastewater treatment includes petrochemical wastewater treatment, food processing wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical wastewater treatment, etc.

4.3 Food industry

In the food production process, demulsifiers are often used to separate oil and water. For example, in dairy production, demulsifiers are needed to separate cream from whey; In the vegetable oil extraction process, demulsifiers are needed to remove impurities and moisture from the oil.

4.4 Pharmaceutical industry

In the pharmaceutical industry, demulsifiers are used for drug separation and purification. For example, in the production of vitamins, antibiotics and other drugs, demulsifiers need to be used to separate drugs and impurities to improve the purity and quality of drugs.

Influencing factors of demulsifier

The demulsification effect of demulsifier is affected by many factors, including the nature of emulsion, the nature of demulsifier and environmental conditions.

5.1 Properties of emulsions

The composition, concentration, particle size and surfactant type of emulsion will affect the effect of demulsifier. For example, emulsions with a higher ratio of oil to water usually require a higher concentration of demulsifier to effectively demulsify; Smaller emulsions require more powerful demulsifiers to separate.

5.2 Properties of demulsifier

The chemical structure, concentration, dosage and reaction time of demulsifier will affect the demulsification effect. Different types of demulsifier are suitable for different emulsions, and it is necessary to choose the appropriate demulsifier and use method according to the specific situation.

5.3 Environmental Conditions

Environmental conditions such as temperature, pH value and ionic strength also affect the effect of demulsifier. For example, high temperature can accelerate the reaction of demulsifier and improve the efficiency of demulsifier; The change of pH value will affect the solubility and reactivity of the demulsifier, thus affecting the demulsification effect.

Research progress of demulsifier

With the development of science and technology, the research of demulsifier has made new progress, which is mainly reflected in the development of new demulsifier, green demulsifier technology and comprehensive application of demulsifier.

6.1 Development of new demulsifier

In order to improve the demulsification efficiency and adapt to different types of emulsions, researchers continue to develop new demulsifiers. For example, multifunctional complex demulsifiers have been developed that can have the characteristics of both cationic and non-ionic demulsifiers and are suitable for complex milky liquid systems. In addition, green demulsifier with high demulsification ability and low toxicity has been developed to meet the requirements of environmental protection.

6.2 Green demulsification technology

The research of green demulsifier technology aims at developing environmental protection and pollution-free demulsifier

The method of breaking milk. For example, the use of biological demulsifiers for emulsion treatment is not only efficient in demulsification, but also biodegradable and environmentally friendly. The researchers also explored the application of nanotechnology in demulsification, improving the efficiency of demulsification through adsorption and catalysis of nanomaterials.

6.3 Comprehensive application of demulsifier

With the development of demulsifier technology, the application field of demulsifier is expanding continuously. For example, the use of demulsifiers in combination with other water treatment technologies, such as flocculation, precipitation, filtration, etc., can significantly improve the effectiveness of wastewater treatment. In addition, the application of demulsifiers in the petroleum industry is also constantly innovative, such as the development of demulsifiers suitable for high temperature and high pressure environments to improve the efficiency of oilfield exploitation and refining.

7. Future development direction

7.1 Environmental friendly demulsifier

With the enhancement of environmental awareness, the development of demulsifier in the future will pay more attention to environmental protection and sustainability. Researchers will continue to develop green demulsifiers with low toxicity and high performance to reduce environmental impact. In addition, exploring the method of preparing demulsifier from renewable resources is also an important direction of future research.

7.2 Development of high efficiency demulsifier

Improving demulsifier efficiency is the core goal of demulsifier research. In the future, researchers will develop new demulsifiers with higher performance and adaptability through molecular design and modification to meet the needs of different milky liquid systems. At the same time, combined with advanced analysis technology, the mechanism of demulsifier is deeply studied, which provides a theoretical basis for the development of high efficiency demulsifier.

7.3 Integrated application of demulsification technology

Future demulsification technology will pay more attention to integrated and systematic application. For example, demulsifier is combined with membrane separation technology and photocatalysis technology to form an efficient comprehensive treatment system and improve the treatment efficiency and effect of emulsion. In addition, the use of big data and artificial intelligence technology to optimize the control and management of the demulsification process to achieve intelligent demulsification treatment.

8. Conclusion

As an important chemical to destroy the stability of emulsion, demulsifier has been widely used in petroleum industry, wastewater treatment, food industry and pharmaceutical industry. By continuously optimizing the chemical structure and mechanism of demulsifier, the research and development of new efficient and environmentally friendly demulsifier can significantly improve the production efficiency and quality in various fields. In the future, with the continuous progress of science and technology, the development of demulsifier will move in the direction of efficiency, environmental protection and intelligence, and provide important support for the sustainable development of various industries.