Microwave-assisted preparation of two-dimensional amphiphilic nanoplate herding surfactants for offshore oil spill treatment

Oil spills are the uncontrolled release of liquid hydrocarbon by ruptured pipelines and tanker hulls, or blowouts and leaks from offshore storage facilities and drilling rigs, either by faulty human behaviors or inevitable natural aging processes. Spills cause disastrous environmental and economic consequences, with the effects of marine habitat damage for lasting decades, necessitating a critical need for efficient oil spill mitigation and leakage treatment. In this study, we develop a two-dimensional (2D) amphiphilic nanoplate as the herding surfactant for retracting spilled oil offshore on the seawater surface with various temperature and saline concentrations. Applying 2D nanoplate herding surfactant causes areas of thin oil slick floating on water to largely shrink and form a thick bulk layer. This transformation lays the foundation for the next-step oil treatment and recovery. Microwave-assisted synthesis method was used to fabricate the surface-modified zirconium phosphate (ZrP) nanoplates as the oil herder, which has an amphiphilic characteristic, containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The 2D nanoplate surfactants decrease the air-water surface tension to facilitate the oil herding process efficiently. Using this herding procedure, we propose a biocompatible, high herding efficiency and cost-effective 2D herding surfactant fabrication method and offer a new direction for oil treatment in the offshore process safety field.