Emulsion

Emulsions are a class of disperse systems consisting of two immiscible liquids.The liquid droplets (the
disperse phase) are dispersed in a liquid medium (the continuous phase). Several classes of emulsion
may be distinguished, namely

.Oil-in-water (O/W),

.Water-in-oil (W/O)

.Oil-in-oil (O/O).

Understanding Emulsification :

It was not recognized until recently that the basics of water-in-oil emulsification were understood in the
surfactant industry, but not in the oil-spill industry. Berridge and co-workers were the first to describe
emulsification in detail and measured several physical properties (Berridge et al., 1968). Berridge
described the emulsions as forming because of asphaltene and resin content. Workers in the 1970's
concluded that emulsification occurred primarily with increased turbulence or mixing energy (Haegh and
Ellingston, 1977; Wang and Huang, 1979). Composition of the oil was not felt to be a major factor. Some
workers speculated that particulate matter in the oil may be a factor and others suggested it was
viscosity. Evidence could be found for and against all these hypotheses.

Twardus studied emulsions in 1980 and found that emulsion formation might be correlated with oil
composition. Asphaltenes and metal porphyrins were suggested as contributing to emulsion stability.
Bridie and coworkers studied emulsions in the same year and proposed that the asphaltenes and waxes
stabilized water-in-oil emulsions. The wax and asphaltene content oftwo test oils correlated with the
formation of emulsions in a laboratory test. Mackay and co-workers (Mackay and Zagorski) hypothesized
that emulsion stability was due to the formation of a film in oil that resisted water droplet coalescence.
The nature of these thin films was not described, but was proposed to be due to the accumulation of
certain types of compounds. Later work led to the conclusion that the compounds were asphaltenes and
waxes. A standard procedure for making emulsions and measuring stability was devised.

Several processes relating to the breakdown of emulsions may occur on storage, depending on:
. the particle size distribution and the density difference between the droplets and the medium;

. the magnitude of the attractive versus repulsive forces, which determines flocculation;

. the solubility of the disperse droplets and the particle size distribution, which in turn determines
Ostwald ripening;

. the stability of the liquid film between the droplets,which determines coalescence;

. phase inversion.

Here are some of the creation process of emulsions and ways to prevent the process as well :

Creaming and Sedimentation : This process results from external forces, usually gravitational or
centrifugal. When such forces exceed the thermal motion of the droplets (Brownian motion), a
concentration gradient builds up in the system such that the larger droplets move more rapidly either to
the top (if their density is less than that of the medium) or to the bottom (if their density is greater than
that of the medium) of the container. In the limiting cases, the droplets may form a close-packed
(random or ordered) array at the top or bottom of the system, with the remainder of the volume
occupied by the continuous liquid phase.

Flocculation : This process refers to aggregation of the droplets (without any change in primary droplet
size) into larger units. It is the result of the van der Waals attractions which are universal with all
disperse systems. Flocculation occurs when there is not sufficient repulsion to keep the droplets apart at
distances where the van der Waals attraction is weak. Flocculation may be either ‘strong ’ or ‘weak ’,
depending on the magnitude of the attractive energy involved.

Ostwald Ripening (Disproportionation) : This effect results from the finite solubility (etc.) of the liquid
phases. Liquids which are referred to as being ‘immiscible ’ often have mutual solubilities which are not
negligible. With emulsions which are usually polydisperse, the smaller droplets will have a greater
solubility when compared to larger droplets (due to curvature effects). With time, the smaller droplets
disappear and their molecules diffuse to the bulk and become deposited on the larger droplets. With
time, the droplet size distribution shifts to larger values.

Coalescence : This refers to the process of thinning and disruption of the liquid film between the
droplets, with the result that fusion of two or more droplets occurs to form larger droplets. The limiting
case for coalescence is the complete separation of the emulsion into two distinct liquid phases. The
driving force for coalescence is the surface or film fluctuations; this results in a close approach of the
droplets whereby the van der Waals forces are strong and prevent their separation.

Phase Inversion : This refers to the process whereby there will be an exchange between the disperse
phase and the medium. For example, an O/W emulsion may with time or change of conditions invert to
a W/O emulsion. In many cases, phase inversion passes through a transition state whereby multiple
emulsions are produced.

Several industrial systems consist of emulsions of which the following are worthy of mention:

. Food emulsions, such as mayonnaise, salad creams, deserts and beverages.

. Personal care and cosmetic products, such as hand-creams, lotions, hair-sprays and sunscreens.

. Agrochemicals - self-emulsifiable oils which produce emulsions on dilution with water, emulsion
concentrates (droplets dispersedinwater; EWs) and crop oil sprays.

. Pharmaceuticals, such as anesthetics of O/W emulsions, lipid emulsions, double and multiple
emulsions.

. Paints, such as emulsions of alkyd resins and latex emulsions.

. Dry-cleaning formulations; these may contain water droplets emulsified in the drycleaning oil, which is
necessary to remove soils and clays.

. Bitumen emulsions are prepared stable in their containers but, when applied the road chippings, they
must coalesce to form a uniform film of bitumen.

. Emulsions in the oil industry - many crude oils contain water droplets (e.g. North Sea oil); these must
be removed by coalescence followed by separation.

. Oil slick dispersants- oil spilled fromtankersmust be emulsified andthen separated. The emulsification
of unwanted oil is a very important process in pollution control.

Emulsions are still largely generalized topic at the moment. Further works for efficient industrial
applications are still being conducted worldwide.