Media Release

Mangaluru, Sep 9: Oil spillages have a detrimental effect on the environment and living organisms. This spillage includes any spill of crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, kerosene, hydraulic oil, lubricating oil, etc. In case the spillage takes place, then the clean-up action has to contain the spread of the oil spill and has to recover or remove the floating oil from the water surface. One of the removal methods is to convert the oil film on the water surface into a semi-solid gel and contain the spread. Then remove the jellified oil by using some mechanical exercise.

MRPL R&D has now developed a new oil gelator chemical for the purpose. In this invention, new organic gel-forming molecules derived from simple and cheaper chemicals have been synthesized and characterized. These molecules exhibit good gelation behaviour when they are exposed to oil spillages. Due to this behaviour, they get solidified quickly. These solidified gels can be easily recovered from the surface of the land or water bodies. It is an effective method to mitigate oil pollution from the environment. About 3-4 percent of the chemical is required to form a gel on the oil layer.

The patent gives MRPL the exclusive right to exclude others from copying, manufacturing, selling or importing their invention without their permission. MRPL is authorized to mark the product with Patent no 375827.

This is the third patent awarded to MRPL. They have two patents in their name already; they are (i) the patent for ‘Process Distillation of Petroleum Fractions – by using Fuel Gas / Hydrocarbon vapours instead of steam’ and (ii) Oxidative Treatment of Refinery Spent Caustic.