• Clean Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.140-147
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• 2013

In this study, chemical demulsification and electrical treatment methods were investigated for improving the efficiency of water separation from a water/bitumen emulsion. Two types of motor oils (GS Caltex, Deluxe Gold V 7.5 W/30 and, Hyundai gear oil 85 W/140) were used as model oils in basic experiments to investigate the effects of a demulsifier on water/oil emulsion separation. Chemical demulsifiers showing good water separation performance were then used in asphalt emulsion and bitumen emulsion separation trials. Maleic anhydride and e-caprolactam were shown to be good oil soluble demulsifiers and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and acrylic acid were effective as water soluble demulsifiers. Based on the results obtained in basic experiments, these four demulsifiers were used in further asphalt emulsion experiments. The oil soluble demulsifiers showed higher water separation efficiencies than the water soluble demulsifiers. To investigate the water separation efficiency using a combined chemical and electrical treatment method, the water/bitumen emulsion was separated with the electrical oil treatment apparatus after a chemical demulsifier had been added to it.

• Clean Technology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2009

In this study, the separation of water/bitumen emulsion was investigated by chemical demulsification method. Motor oils (GS Caltex Deluxe Gold V 7.5W/30, Hyundai gear oil 85W/140) and asphalt (AP-5, KS M 2201, Dongnam Petrochemical MFG. Co.) were used as model oils in the preliminary experiments to effectively remove water from water/bitumen emulsion. The bitumen extracted from Canadian oilsands was used in this study. The water/oil emulsion was not separated without demulsifiers, and Hyundai motor oil showed higher efficiency of water separation at a low concentration of demulsifier compared with that for GS Caltex motor oil. However, as the concentration increased, the efficiency did not rapidly increase compared with that of GS Caltex motor oil. It was highly speculated that the water phase of Hyundai motor oil was not dispersed well compared with that of GS Caltex motor oil because the viscosity of Hyundai motor oil was much higher than that of GS Caltex motor oil. The demulsifier of higher HLB (hydrophilic - lipophilic balance) value had high separation efficiencies in water/oil emulsion. The TWEEN 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate solution) showed better separation efficiency than other demulsifiers.