Oil-in-Water Emulsion Breaking System for Bilge Water

The objective of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of an innovative design that utilizes ozone to break the oil-in-water emulsion stability in bilge water by oxidation. Ozone, a very strong oxidant, is capable of reacting with many substances by either directly or indirectly attacking the bonding substrates. This process can convert surfactant coated oil into a non-polar sensitive conglomerable solution, which can then be easily separated by the existing oil water separators. Although ozone is the strongest oxidizing agent commercially available, it is safe to handle. After ozone oxidizes, it decomposes into oxygen. There are no chemical byproducts to be worried about. All these are desirable features for Navy shipboard applications.