Abstract
The separation or extraction of hydrocarbons such as oil and bitumen from soil, sand, or other forms of mineral matter is a difficult and expensive process that also results in environmental problems associated with the disposal of waste products. For example, the separation of bitumen from tar or oil sands involves large amounts of energy and water. The process water generated in the separation is toxic to aquatic life and is a major environmental problem. Similarly, the oil and gas industry has to deal with oil contaminated sand, waste drilling muds and drill cuttings in its operations. We have developed a novel method for separating bitumen, oil or other hydrocarbons from sand or soils through the use of ionic liquids (ILs). The separation occurs at ambient temperatures and does not result in the generation of waste process water.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Technical Proceedings of the 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011 |
Pages | 616-619 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Volume | 3 |
State | Published - Nov 23 2011 |
Event | Nanotechnology 2011: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational - 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011 - Boston, MA, United States Duration: Jun 13 2011 → Jun 16 2011 |
Other
Other | Nanotechnology 2011: Electronics, Devices, Fabrication, MEMS, Fluidics and Computational - 2011 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2011 |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Boston, MA |
Period | 6/13/11 → 6/16/11 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Bioengineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering