Separation of diluted fine-disperse water-oil emulsions by ultraflocculation and floatation

Abstract

Using a fine-disperse emulsion of sunflower oil in water stabilized by sodium dodecyl sulfate it has been shown that ultraflocculation combined with floatation is an effective means of separation of stabilized phases of water-oil emulsions whose complete treatment time may constitute < 0.5 min, while the residual concentration of oil in water < 30 mg/dm3; an increase of the medium gradient velocity in the course of flocculation within the range 500-900 s-1 is accompanied by a monotonic decrease of the residual concentration of oil in the water, which makes it possible to effectively separate diluted water-oil emulsions; an increase of the medium velocity gradient in a flocculator to 104 s-1 makes it possible to decrease the time of ultraflocculation treatment to several seconds. © 2010 Allerton Press, Inc.