Plant-based herding agent promising for oil spills response in cold regions and its effect on oil/water mixtures freezing and thawing as revealed by MRI

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2025-02, Vol.211, p.117375, Article 117375
• Main Authors: Morozov, Evgeny V., Sandzhieva, Delgir A., Ubushaeva, Baira V., Kuznetsova, Olga V., Ivanenko, Timur Yu, Dedov, Alexey G., Bouznik, Vyacheslav M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cold regions; Freezing; Herding agents; MRI; NMR; Oil spills
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117375

This work reports on the first multi-scale NMR study of new plant-based herding agent suitable for application in Arctic marine environment. Using NMR spectroscopy the chemical components of the herding agent were established while through the NMR relaxometry and diffusometry the local dynamics, molecular mobility, and transport properties of the components were studied depending on water content upon dilution. MRI method was first applied to probe the effect of herder on freezing and thawing processes occurring in dodecane/water and light oil/water mixtures. It was found out that the herder affects the internal structure and the surface texture of the ice under oil slick, and presence of herder is supposed to shift the heat balance in marine freeze/thawing cycling inherent to cold regions. The results of the work contribute into better understanding of the surfactant-oil/water/ice interaction and facilitate more effective application of herders for oil spills response in marine environment. •New plant-based herder is developed suitable for application in cold regions.•Composition, local dynamics, and molecular transport are established via NMR methods.•Phospholipids facilitate formation of stable emulsion upon dilution herder with water.•Herder affects the internal structure and the surface texture of the ice under oil slick.•Presence of herder may affect the heat balance in marine freeze/thawing cycling.