Preface

This volume is based on the symposium "Surfactant-Based Separations" at the National American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in Dallas, Texas in March-April 1998. This two and one-half day symposium was sponsored by the Sep­aration Science and Technology Subdivision of the ACS Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Inc.

Surfactant-based separation processes represent some of the most promising new separation techniques to emerge over the past few decades with potential for breakthrough improvements in industrial and analytical separations. Surfactant-based separations have the general advantages of using a separating agent, which can be green (biodegradable and nontoxic), often having low energy requirements, and being capable of treating easily degraded materials such as biochemicals. The unique tendency for surfactants to adsorb at interfaces and to form aggregates in solution lead to separation methods that have unifying basic principles. The chapters in this book are classified into four major categories: surfactant-enhanced soil remediation; membrane-based separations; adsorption and flotation separations; and extraction and deinking processes. Physical phenomena that are exploited include solubilization into micelles and other surfactant aggregates, surfactant adsorption at solid-liquid or vapor-liquid surfaces, microemulsion formation, emulsion and dispersion formation, foaming behavior, wetting, surfactant precipitation, and liquid crystal formation. Applications include remediation of contaminated soil (in-situ or ex-situ), wastewater and groundwater cleanup, bioseparations, removal of ink to permit recycling of plastic or paper, analytical chemistry, and ore flotation.

The only other book (i) dedicated to this topic was published in 1989. The use of surfactants to induce separation processes has been one of the most active areas of research in separation science in the decade since that volume appeared. Techniques such as paper recycling after surfactant-induced deinking has increased dramatically in commercial importance. Methods like micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration have reached the point of field demonstration and even early commercial utilization. Traditional techniques such as ore flotation continue to be widely used. Finally, many new processes have been proposed and are being developed.

Financial support for this symposium was supplied by the Asahi Glass Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund of the ACS, and the Separation Science and Technology Subdivision of the ACS Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Inc. We thank Denae Athay for her dilligent attention to detail in handling all the administrative aspects of putting the volume together

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and Rick Wheeler for drafting the cover art. We also acknowledge Kelly Dennis and Anne Wilson of ACS Books for their help and advice in editing this volume. Professor Scamehorn holds the Asahi Glass Chair in Chemical Engineering and Professor Harwell holds the Conoco/DuPont Professorship in Chemical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma and we thank the organizations that endowed these positions for their financial support.

1. Surfactant-Based Separation Processes; Scamehorn, J. F.; Harwell, J. H., Eds.; Marcel Dekker: New York; 1989.

JOHN F. SCAMEHORN Institute of Applied Surfactant Research University of Oklahoma 100 East Boyd Street, T-335 Norman, OK 73019

JEFFREY H. H A R W E L L School of Chemical Engineering University of Oklahoma Norman, OK 73019

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In Surfactant-Based Separations; Scamehorn, J., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1999.