Development of herding agents for marine oil spill response

• Main Author: Yu, Miao
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2021
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48336/rwb4-4e34; https://research.library.mun.ca/15207/

This thesis tackles the development of herders as marine oil spill treating agents. In the first section of the thesis, a biosurfactant-based bioherder was generated and examined for marine oil spill response. The biosurfactant was produced by Rhodococcus erythropolis, a strain isolated from the North Atlantic Ocean. A commercial chemical herder, USN cold water blend, was used for performance comparison. Factors affecting herding effectiveness, including temperature, salinity, and oil/herder ratio, were investigated using the Design of Experiment methodology. Statistical analysis was employed to study the interactions among the factors on herding ability. Experimental results confirmed that the developed bio-herder can serve as an effective marine oil spill treating agent, and temperature and herder/oil ratio are significant factors affecting oil herding effectiveness. In the second section of the thesis, molecular design was conducted to obtain environmentally friendly herder products for marine oil spill response. The quantitative structure-activity relationship between molecular structures of herders and their activities (herding ability and toxicity) was firstly established using 3D-QSAR modeling. Span surfactants were selected as the model key components of herders. Two QSAR (CoMFA and CoMSIA) models were constructed, and ten molecularly modified span compounds were obtained. Molecular docking was carried out to further examine the biodegradability of one newly designed molecular. Through both studies, new herders (bio-herder and molecular modified herder) were generated, which are useful in herd production. In addition, the associated herding performance and environmental impacts were evaluated. Overall, this thesis work contributes new knowledge to the field and provides more sustainable options for marine oil spill response operations.