MSc Thesis Title: Biosurfactants evaluation using the Baffled Flask Test

Friday 12 July 2019, at:11:00, Venue: Hall K2.A1

Examination Committee

• Professor Nicolas Kalogerakis (advisor)
• Professor Nikolaos Pasadakis
• Dr. Eleftheria Antoniou

Abstract:

As years pass, the use of petroleum and its byproducts continues to increase. And so does the potential environmental damage. Even though petroleum is tried to be replaced as an energy source, it still remains as the main energy source. The consequences of oil spills in marine environment were and still are very troubling, as they can be severe and long term. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also called Gulf of Mexico oil spill, is still very recent and reminds us that we must  be ready and vigilant as the danger of oil spills persists. The effectiveness of dispersants is well known, in treating oil spills. Still dispersants remain of chemical origin and after they are used to treat oil spills, they could be dangerous to marine life and their environment. So, biodispersants, dispersants that are biologically produced, gain further and further attention. They act as replacements of their chemical counterparts but are much friendlier to the environment that they  will be applied. In this thesis, the properties, fate and consequences of oil spills are recorded, as well as the basic mechanisms of dealing with them. The thesis main purpose is the test of effectivity of certain bio-dispersants, with the Baffled Flask Test method, as a mean of oil spill removal. Two types of oil are being tested, the Weather Crude and IFO, while the bio-dispersants that are being tested are New Cherry, Oil be Gone, BB 1000, Experimental Dispersant and New Dispersant and the chemical Marichem, which is non-toxic to marine environment.