Novel and Environmentally Friendly Oil Spill Dispersant Based on the Synergy of Biopolymer Xanthan Gum and Silica Nanoparticles

The potential toxicity of existing chemical dispersants on the marine environment has motivated the search for environmentally friendly dispersants with excellent dispersion ability. Here, an effective Pickering emulsifier is developed based on the synergy of natural biopolymer, Xanthan Gum (XG), and silica nanoparticles. The oil-in-seawater emulsion stabilized by a combination of XG and silica demonstrates great stability and smaller droplet size, which is favorable for the following natural degradation of oil. The synergistic emulsification mechanism has been investigated systematically. The presence of XG favors the adsorption of silica nanoparticles at the oil-seawater interface and also is considerably effective in enhancing the viscosity of continuous phase. These contributions of XG slow down the droplet coalescence and creaming significantly. Confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of emulsions indicate a thick layer of aggregated XG/silica particles at the oil-water interface. This thick layer provides an effective steric barrier. In this study, the synergy between XG and silica not only enhances the dispersion effectiveness, but also reduces the amount of nanoparticles dramatically. This finding opens up a new path for the development of a novel, high efficiency, ecologically acceptable, and cheaper dispersant for emulsifying crude oil following a spill.