• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.969-979
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• 2012

In this study, the effects of cosurfactant on phase equilibrium and dynamic behavior were studied in systems containing nonylphenol ethoxylate (NP) surfactant solutions and nonpolar hydrocarbon oils. All the cosurfactants used during this study such as n-pentanol, n-octanol and n-decanol acted as a hydrophobic additive and the hydrophobic effect was found to increase with both increases in chain length and amount of addition of a cosurfactant. Dynamic behavior studies under hydrophilic conditions showed that the solubilization of hydrocarbon oil by NP micellar solution is controlled by an interface-controlled mechanism rather than a diffusion-controlled mechanism. Both spontaneous emulsification of water into oil phase and expansion of oil drop were observed under lipophilic conditions because of diffusion of surfactant and water into oil phase. Under conditions of a three phase region including a middle-phase microemulsion, both rapid solubilization and emulsification of oil into aqueous solutions were found mainly due to the existence of ultralow interfacial tension.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.680-688
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• 2004

A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated to investigate the degradation and removal of non-ionic surfactant, nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in wastewater using lab scale experimental apparatus. About 5mg/L of NPEO was introduced and only < 0.1mg/L of NPEOs and nonylphenol(NP) in total was detected in treated effluent. In the effluent, long chain ethoxylates (NPEO12-15) were not detected, but short chain ethoxylates (NPEO1,2) were in relatively high concentration. NPEOs in the mixed liquor disappeared more rapidly in anaerobic condition than in aerobic condition.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.356-368
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• 2008

The effects of cosurfactant on silica nanoparticles were investigated in systems containing surfactant, oil and aqueous ammonia solution where nanoparticles were prepared using a single phase water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion. For the same oil phase, a single phase region was dependent on the interaction between surfactant and oil. For the cyclohexane system, NP-5 surfactant showed a wider single phase region than NP-4. The addition of n-propanol as a cosurfactant resulted in an increase or a decrease of a single phase W/O microemulsion region depending on the continuous oil phase. For both cyclohexane and isooctane systems, the addition of n-propanol resulted in a decrease in the single phase region. On the other hand, for n-heptane system, the addition of n-propanol expanded a single phase W/O microemulsion region. Silica nanoparticles prepared within a single phase region showed that relatively large number of particles of irregular shape were obtained with the addition of n-propanol to NP surfactant system. The addition of n-propanol to LA-5 surfactant and n-heptane system produced a decrease in average particle size and an increase in the number of particles formed due to a decrease in the intermicellar exchange rate among microemulsion droplets.