ABSTRACT
The involvement of molecular weight variation of a surfactant series, representing a chemically related group, as it relates to oil separation in water oil/mineral systems has been inadequately studied. Crude oils are difficult to define chemically or physically in terms of hydrophobicity. The Pluronic surfactants are polymers of polyoxypropylene and polyoxyethylene in which the degree of polymerization is controlled to give products with the desired degree of hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and molecular weight. The property of hydrophobicity of a surfactant provides an approach to examining oil recovery from porous media. Microbes utilizing hydrocarbons may produce surfactants so that they can attach, emulsify, and wet the hydrocarbons on which they grow. The mechanisms by which microbes increase oil recovery are under investigation. The ability of selected microbes used in oil recovery to produce surfactants, polymers, cosolvents, and CO2 is known.
