비튜멘으로부터 효과적으로 물을 제거하기 위하여 화학적 항유화제에 의한 물/비튜멘 에멀젼의 분리를 연구하였다. 비튜멘 에멀젼을 모사하기 위해 모사물질로 엔진오일(GS Caltex Deluxe Gold V 7.5W/30, Hyundai gear oil 85W/140)과 아스팔트(AP-5, KS M 2201, (주)동남유화)를 사용하여 예비실험을 수행하였다. 그리고 오일센드로부터 추출한 비튜멘을 이용하여 실험하였다. 예비실험으로 수행된 물/오일 에멀젼의 분리실험에서 함유화제를 첨가하지 경우 에멀젼이 분리되지 않았으며, 항유화제의 농도가 낮을 때 Hyundai 엔진오일은 GS Caltex 엔진오일보다 분리효율이 높았다. 그러나 GS Caltex 엔진오일에 비해서 분리효율의 증가율은 낮았다. Hyundai 엔진오일은 GS Caltex 엔진오일보다 점도가 높아서 물의 분산이 잘 이루어지지 않았기 때문으로 판단된다. 그리고 HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic balance) 값이 높을수록 분리효율이 높았으며, 사용된 항유화제 중 TWEEN 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate solution)이 가장 좋은 분리효율을 나타내었다.
In this study, the separation of water/bitumen emulsion was investigated by chemical demulsification method. Motor oils (GS Caltex Deluxe Gold V 7.5W/30, Hyundai gear oil 85W/140) and asphalt (AP-5, KS M 2201, Dongnam Petrochemical MFG. Co.) were used as model oils in the preliminary experiments to effectively remove water from water/bitumen emulsion. The bitumen extracted from Canadian oilsands was used in this study. The water/oil emulsion was not separated without demulsifiers, and Hyundai motor oil showed higher efficiency of water separation at a low concentration of demulsifier compared with that for GS Caltex motor oil. However, as the concentration increased, the efficiency did not rapidly increase compared with that of GS Caltex motor oil. It was highly speculated that the water phase of Hyundai motor oil was not dispersed well compared with that of GS Caltex motor oil because the viscosity of Hyundai motor oil was much higher than that of GS Caltex motor oil. The demulsifier of higher HLB (hydrophilic - lipophilic balance) value had high separation efficiencies in water/oil emulsion. The TWEEN 20 (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate solution) showed better separation efficiency than other demulsifiers.
