The objective of this study is to discover a synergistic effect between foam stability in bulk and micro-emulsion phase behaviour to design a high-performance chemical system for an optimized alkaline-surfactant-foam (ASF) flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The focus is on the interaction of ASF chemical agents with oil in the presence and absence of a naphthenic acid component and in si...

Hemolytic assay, bacterial adhesion to hydrocarbons (BATH) assay, drop collapse assay, oil spreading assay, emulsification assay and surface tension measurement were compared for their reliability and ease of use to screen biosurfactant producing bacteria. 105 bacterial strains were screened for their biosurfactant production. Results from screening methods revealed that hemolytic and BATH assa...

STUDY QUESTION How common is the use of herbal supplements during pregnancy and does it adversely affect the pregnancy outcome? SUMMARY ANSWER The use of herbal products during pregnancy is very common and daily almond oil spreading is associated with preterm birth (PTB). WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS Herbal drugs are often promoted as 'natural' and 'safe' and such claims attract p...

An oil spill model coupled with a hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate the spread of oil slick in real marine conditions considering the effects of tidal currents, wind and wave. The hydrodynamic model is verified using the measurements of tidal elevations and current speeds at the Persian Gulf. Effect of various governing factors on oil slick movement, tidal currents, wind and wave, ar...

BACKGROUND Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds produced by some microorganisms. OBJECTIVES In this study, we collected surface skin samples from breast of poultry (chicken, turkey, and, quail) and screened for biosurfactant-producing bacteria. We also determined the genera of cultured strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS 33 hemolytic bacterial strains (15, 11, and 7 isolates from chicken,...

Marine microorganisms have unique physiological properties and novel metabolites such as biosurfactant to live in extreme habitats (e.g. oil polluted environment). The aim of this study was to characterize some biosurfactant-producing bacteria collected from sediment and seawater samples from the Caspian Sea. These bacteria were isolated using enrichment method in ONR7a medium with crude oil as...

Biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties and are surface active agent that are produced extracellularly or as a part of cell membrane by bacteria, yeast and fungi. In the present study, six different microorganisms were isolated from oil contaminated soils. Screening of biosurfactant producing potential strain was done using oil spreading method, o...