Grantee Research Project Results
2013 Progress Report: Dentritic polymers as biocompatible dispersants for oil spill remediation
EPA Grant Number: R835182Title: Dentritic polymers as biocompatible dispersants for oil spill remediation
Investigators: Ladner, David A. , Ke, Pu-Chun , Whelton, Andrew J , Powers, Sean P
Current Investigators: Ladner, David A. , Whelton, Andrew J , Powers, Sean P , Ke, Pu-Chun
Institution: Clemson University , University of South Alabama
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: May 15, 2012 through May 14, 2015 (Extended to May 14, 2016)
Project Period Covered by this Report: May 15, 2013 through May 14,2014
Project Amount: $500,000
RFA: Environmental Impact and Mitigation of Oil Spills (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Aquatic Ecosystems , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Objective:
The overall objective of this proposal is to gain a fundamental understanding of the interactions of dendritic polymers with crude oil, taking toxicity and biodegradability into consideration. In addition, the community outreach program objectives are to use community input in developing the research and to educate a broad audience about current and novel dispersants and their environmental impacts. This research examines the dispersing capacities of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer and hyperbranched polyethylenimine polymer for linear, cyclic, and aromatic hydrocarbons, the components of crude oil, using comprehensive biophysical and analytical methods. Using toxicological assays, the biocompatibility and environmental safety of the dendritic polymers is examined for mammalian cells and marine bacteria Vibrio fischeri , a model systems for aquatic organism. Polymers are deployed with Louisiana Sweet Crude in microcosm experiments that allow their effectiveness and biodegradability to be tested. Comparisons with Corexit 9500A and other conventional dispersants are being made. The community outreach program features a workshop series where community members perform their own microcosm experiments to evaluate the effects of conventional and novel dispersants. Subsequently, video, photography, and written media will be created for dissemination. The materials will be synthesized into an exhibit that will be housed at the Estuarium, the public aquarium of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Mobile, Alabama.
Progress Summary:
Research: The project is progressing well. Several dendritic polymers have been obtained, including dendrimers of various generations and hyperbranched polymers of various molecular weights. Corexit 9500A was obtained from Nalco. Louisiana Light Sweet (LLS) crude oil was obtained from Shell. The three research groups on this project are now engaged in experiments. The Ladner group at Clemson is testing the effectiveness of the dendritic polymers for dispersion of LLS oil using batch dispersion experiments where hydrocarbons are quantified after extraction. Poly(ethyleneimine) hyperbranched polymers appear to be as effective as Corexit for oil dispersion.
The Ladner group is also testing the toxicity of the dispersants and dispersed oil on various algal species. Results are mixed; in some cases Corexit is more toxic, in others the dendritic polymers appear more toxic. The Ke group at Clemson is evaluating molecular-level interactions of dendritic polymers and model hydrocarbons to evaluate mechanistic hypotheses. They are comparing the polymers to other materials, like graphene oxide and performing molecular dynamics simulations. They are also working on evaluating the interactions of dendrimerhydrocarbon with amoeba (soil organism) using CytoViva spectral imaging and other techniques. Their results were the main data published thus far (listed below), including a “Most Read Article” (based on downloads) of the journal of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics during March 2013. The Whelton and Powers groups at South Alabama are engaged in toxicity experiments for Corexit 9500C and several poly(ethyleneimine) [PEI] polymers. Preliminary results have implied that the PEI polymers are significantly less toxic than Corexit 9500C to Daphnia magna. Additional experiments are ongoing to elucidate PEI polymer LC50 values.
Community Outreach: We have completed three workshops with four community groups. The participating organizations were:
- Hijra House in collaboration with the Mississippi Coalition for Vietnamese American Fisher Folks and Families (MSCVAFF), Biloxi, MS
- Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE), Pensacola, FL
- Mobile Baykeeper, Mobile, AL
- The Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Dauphin Island, AL
The first workshop was a gathering to meet the community group representatives, learn about their past and ongoing initiatives, and educate them regarding oil spill research. The second workshop was an intensive laboratory experience and discussion session with the community groups. The third workshop was a collaborative effort between researchers and community groups to design a web site and an exhibit for the Estuarium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Future Activities:
This will be the first information about using dendritic polymers as dispersants. The knowledge gained here will enable dendritic polymer dispersant design based on fundamental principles of polymer-hydrocarbon interactions. If successful, these novel dispersants will provide a biocompatible and biodegradable means of dispersing oil spills. The outreach program will educate impacted communities about the benefits and risks of conventional and novel dispersants. They will then be better able to put their recent oil-spill experience into appropriate context, having hands-on and personal information. In addition, they will be the voice in disseminating this knowledge to the broader Gulf Coast public, making the information more accessible and meaningful. Lessons learned can serve to educate managers of future oil spills to appropriately involve the communities in cleanup efforts.
Journal Articles on this Report : 7 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other project views: | All 18 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 7 journal articles |
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Bhattacharya P, Conroy N, Rao AM, Powell BA, Ladner DA, Ke PC. PAMAM dendrimer for mitigating humic foulant. RSC Advances 2012;2(21):7997-8001. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (2014) R835182 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Bhattacharya P, Geitner NK, Sarupria S, Ke PC. Exploiting the physicochemical properties of dendritic polymers for environmental and biological applications. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2013;15(13):4477-4490. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (2014) R835182 (Final) |
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Geitner NK, Bhattacharya P, Steele M, Chen R, Ladner DA, Ke PC. Understanding dendritic polymer-hydrocarbon interactions for oil dispersion. RSC Advances 2012;2(25):9371-9375. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (2014) R835182 (Final) |
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Geitner NK, Powell RR, Bruce T, Ladner DA, Ke PC. Effects of dendrimer oil dispersants on Dictyostelium discoideum. RSC Advances 2013;3(48):25930-25936. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (2014) R835182 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Geitner NK, Wang B, Andorfer RE, Ladner DA, Ke PC, Ding F. Structure–function relationship of PAMAM dendrimers as robust oil dispersants. Environmental Science & Technology 2014;48(21):12868-12875. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (2014) R835182 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Wang B, Geitner NK, Davis TP, Ke PC, Ladner DA, Ding F. Deviation from the unimolecular micelle paradigm of PANAM dendrimers induced by strong interligand interactions. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2015;119(33):19475-19484. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (Final) |
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Salehi M, Rodriguez R, Boettcher A, Powers S, Geitner N, Ladner DA, Rikard S, Whelton AJ. Impact of dispersant on early life stages of the water flea Daphnia magna and the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Journal of Applied Toxicology 2017;37(12):1464-1470. |
R835182 (2013) R835182 (Final) |
Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
oil spill, dendritic polymer, dendrimer, hyperbranched polymer, dispersant, molecular modeling, effectiveness testing, drop breakup, surface tension, surfactant, Corexit 9500, toxicity, biodegradation, biocompatibility, Daphnia magna, oyster, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes, hexadecane, phenanthrene, naphthaleneRelevant Websites:
Under construction Community Outreach Web Site Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.