Investigations of the solubilization kinetics of binary mixtures of non-polar oils by non-ionic surfactants

Abstract

An investigation of the solubilization kinetics of binary mixtures of non-polar oils by a non-ionic surfactant has been made using the drop-on-fibre technique. Variables studied were the oil composition, surfactant concentration and the temperature. Rates vary linearly with the surfactant concentration for all oil compositions. The observed rate during nearly total solubilization of each oil drop was constant, implying that in these systems solubilization is non-selective. The rates increase as the lower consolute (cloud) temperature of the surfactant is approached. Activation energies of the solubilization process are shown to be independent of the oil composition for the system studied. This suggests that the important stage of the process involves dissociation of the surfactant micelles.