Systems and processes for water-oil separations include feeding an oil-water mixture to an inlet of a water-oil separation vessel for separation of the decontaminated water from the oil. Steam bubbles are used to facilitate the separations, where the systems and processes include a water circulation loop for circulating a portion of the decontaminated water through the water circulation loop and heating the water to generate steam via solar energy captured by the concentrated solar collector. The steam may then be fed to a distributor in a separation chamber of the water-oil separation vessel, the distributor distributing the steam in the separation chamber of the water-oil separation vessel as a plurality of bubbles, facilitating separation of oil from water.

A method and apparatus for collection and disposal or utilization as a carbon neutral fuel of fats, oil and grease that includes a first porous container, a second porous container, and a grease trap having an inlet and an outlet. The first porous container is positioned proximate the grease trap inlet and the second porous container is positioned proximate the grease trap outlet. The first and second porous containers are formed of a porous fabric and contain an absorbent, organic hydrocarbon material capable of absorbing a quantity of fats, oil and grease. The second porous container may be positioned on either side of the grease trap outlet (within the grease trap or intermediate the outlet and an exit pipe) and may be held in a stationary manner via a tether and/or a hinged door having a flange for capturing and holding the porous container in a stationary manner.

The invention relates to a method for microbial remediation of underground water petroleum hydrocarbon contamination by regulating soil buffer capability, which comprises detecting the soil particle size of contaminated site soil, dividing the contaminated site soil into coarse-grained soil and fine-grained soil; dividing the contaminated site soil into high buffer capacity soil and low buffer capacity soil; and adjusting the composition and ratio of a biostimulant solution added to the contaminated site soil based on the classification of the contaminated site soil. The detecting step includes classifying soil with a particle size between 0.075 mm and 60 mm and a mass greater than or equal to 50% of the total mass as coarse-grained soil; and classifying soil with a particle size not greater than 0.075 mm and a mass greater than or equal to 50% as fine-grained soil.

Methods are provided for treating intimately dispersed mixtures of water, bitumen, and fine clay particles, such as oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT). Select methods use dissolved silicate ions and a base (alkali), optionally in combination with a biopolymer, to flocculate a slurry. A mixing regime is disclosed involving the addition to MFT of silicate ions in solution and alkali, to initiate aggregation/destabilization of clay particles. Methods are exemplified that provide distinct sediment layers in conjunction with the release of residual bitumen (for example 40-50% of the initial bitumen content). In these exemplified embodiments, a densely packed bottom layer containing 75 wt. % solids showed high yield stress values (3.5-5.5 kPa) and entrapped little residual bitumen (0.2-0.3 wt. %). The methods accordingly segregate a material suitable for reclamation.

A carbon disulfide-modified amine additive may be introduced to an aqueous stream in an effective amount to separate oil from the water in the aqueous stream, such as separating at least some of the oil from emulsified oil-in-water in a production fluid, where the oil is crude oil. The carbon disulfide-modified amine additive may be produced from a reaction of synthetic amine, natural amines, or chemically modified natural amines with carbon disulfide and an ,-unsaturated compound and/or an epoxide in one step. In one non-limiting embodiment, the amine is a natural amine or chemically modified natural amine of a polysaccharide containing amino functional group(s). Optionally, a base catalyst is used to make the carbon disulfide-modified amine additive.

The present invention relates to a device and an apparatus and relative method for removing hydrocarbons from a water body, in particular for the remediation of hydrophobic contaminated hydrocarbons present as a demixed phase. The device of the invention is equipped with at least one sensor which determines its position with respect to the demixed phase in the body of water, allowing automated modification of the position of the device with respect to the demixed phase in optimising its separation and recovery.

The present disclosure relates to a phenyl-modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) separation membrane, a fabrication method thereof, and a use thereof in the separation of an aromatic compound, and belongs to the technical field of separation membrane materials. A phenyl-modified PDMS separation membrane comprising a substrate layer and a selective layer is provided.

A method for degrading an organism includes steps as follows. A composite structure is provided, wherein the composite structure includes a degradation activity donor and a supporter. The degradation activity donor has a piezoelectric property. The supporter carries the degradation activity donor, wherein the degradation activity donor is completely or partially covered by the supporter. A contacting step is conducted, wherein the composite structure is contacted with a medium. The medium includes at least one organism and water. A degrading step is conducted, wherein a mechanical perturbation is generated in the medium to polarize the degradation activity donor, and a separation of an electron-hole pair is generated for degrading the organism.

A floating-oil recovery device includes: a bubble-curtain generation mechanism configured to discharge air into water to generate a bubble curtain in the water so as to increase a thickness of a film of floating oil while regulating spread of the floating oil; and an ejector configured to recover an oil-water mixed fluid having the floating oil and the water mixed with each other by jetting high-velocity water toward the film of floating oil enclosed with the bubble curtain to destroy the film of floating oil.

A Janus membrane exhibiting sides with different properties and methods of fabricating such a Janus membrane. The membrane comprises a polymer material lacking polar functional groups. One side of the membrane is masked during atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD is utilized to deposit a conformal coating on an exposed side of the membrane.