Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Rogers, Rudy E.

Committee Member

Schulz, Kirk H.

Committee Member

Toghiani, Hossein

Committee Member

French, W. Todd

Date of Degree

8-7-2004

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Chemical Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering

Abstract

Various porous media were tested with biosurfactant solutions (rhamnolipid or Emulsan) at concentrations ranging from 0 ppm to 1000 ppm. The biosurfactant solutions in the presence of porous media often showed substantial gas hydrate catalyzation, localization on selected surfaces, and/or specific hydrate form (massive, stratified, dispersed.) At 1000-ppm concentrations of rhamnolipid, all porous media surfaces exhibited the same hydrate formation rate increase of 187% over the control. The curves generated for rhamnolipid or Emulsan concentration versus peak hydrate formation rate resembled certain classical adsorption curves. Bentonite and aragonite showed hydrate catalyzation properties with or without biosurfactants. The preference for hydrate formation on porous media surfaces (no surfactant) was: Bentonite/nontronite > aragonite/stainless steel > Ottawa sand/kaolinite. Porous media/biosurfactant concentration combinations play marked roles in the types of gas hydrates formed: massive, dendritic, or needle-like. The research helps to explain the vast occurrence of gas hydrates in ocean sediments.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20196

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