This case report emphasizes the potential pulmonary toxicity of demulsifier gas, which is a widely used chemical. To our knowledge, this is the first documented instance of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by inhalation of demulsifier gas. This report underscores the need for increased workplace safety and awareness regarding health risks associated with demulsifiers, particularly in industrial settings. Timely diagnosis and management of ARDS are crucial for improving patient outcomes, thus making this report significant for clinical practice and occupational health literature.

We present a rare case of acute demulsifier poisoning leading to ARDS in a previously healthy 69-year-old man. He presented with chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and dyspnea following a 30-minute exposure to demulsifier fumes in a poorly ventilated area. Chest computed tomography revealed bilateral diffuse infiltrative shadows. Based on his exposure history and clinical findings, a diagnosis of ARDS due to demulsifier poisoning was confirmed. The patient required high-flow oxygen and intravenous norepinephrine upon admission and was subsequently intubated for mechanical ventilation. Following timely and effective multidisciplinary treatment interventions including emergency care, intensive care, and respiratory medicine, he achieved positive outcomes and was ultimately discharged.

This case underscores the critical importance of recognizing chemical exposure risks and their potential to cause severe respiratory complications.

Pickering emulsions are ultra-stable dispersions of two immiscible fluids stabilized by solid or microgel particles rather than molecular surfactants. Although their ultra-stability is a signature performance indicator, often such high stability hinders their demulsification, i.e., prevents the droplet coalescence that is needed for phase separation on demand, or release of the active ingredients encapsulated within droplets and/or to recover the particles themselves, which may be catalysts, for example. This review aims to provide theoretical and experimental insights on demulsification of Pickering emulsions, in particular identifying the mechanisms of particle dislodgment from the interface in biological and non-biological applications. Even though the adhesion of particles to the interface can appear irreversible, it is possible to detach particles via (1) alteration of particle wettability, and/or (2) particle dissolution, affecting the particle radius by introducing a range of physical conditions: pH, temperature, heat, shear, or magnetic fields; or via treatment with chemical/biochemical additives, including surfactants, enzymes, salts, or bacteria. Many of these changes ultimately influence the interfacial rheology of the particle-laden interface, which is sometimes underestimated. There is increasing momentum to create responsive Pickering particles such that they offer switchable wettability (demulsification and re-emulsification) when these conditions are changed. Demulsification via wettability alteration seems like the modus operandi whilst particle dissolution remains only partially explored, largely dominated by food digestion-related studies where Pickering particles are digested using gastrointestinal enzymes. Overall, this review aims to stimulate new thinking about the control of demulsification of Pickering emulsions for release of active ingredients associated with these ultra-stable emulsions.

This study aims to prepare mono and gemini nonionic emulsifiers differing in HLB to utilize in formulated metal cutting fluids. Also, the cationic gemini surfactant (GCS) was prepared and applied as a corrosion inhibitor and biocide in the formulations. FT-IR and NMR confirmed the chemical structure of the prepared compounds. Different oil package formulations were prepared by adding different trial concentrations of the additives (emulsifier, corrosion inhibitor, coupling agent, and biocide) to the eco-friendly vegetable oil (castor oil). Standard procedures were performed to assess the stability of the formulated base oil packages. Six Formulas demonstrated the greatest oil stability. Oil in water emulsions with varying formulated oil ratios (5-15 wt%) were prepared. A standard test was carried out to evaluate their performance as emulsion stability. It's been demonstrated that Formulas II and V produced stable emulsions. The wettability alteration of formulas II and V on different metal surfaces was evaluated. The droplet size of formulated castor oil in water was determined via DLS. Corrosion test and tribological properties were also performed. The findings of this study indicate that Formula V is a good choice as a renewable addition for enhancing a variety of performance characteristics of the water-based cutting fluid.

Stable emulsions can have numerous negative impacts on both the oil industry and the environment. This study focuses on the synthesis of two ionic liquids (via. PPBD and PPBH) with four hydrophobic branches and four ionic centers that can effectively treat oil-water emulsions at a low temperature of 40 °C. Their chemical structure was explored using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectra (1H NMR). The effect of temperature, PPBD and PPBH concentration, oil-water ratio, salinity and pH value on the demulsification efficiency (DE) of W/O emulsion was studied detailly and several commercial demulsifiers were also used for comparison. Results revealed that by adding 250 mg/L of PPBH in an E30 emulsion and leaving it for 120 min at 40 °C, the DE could reach 96.34%. Meanwhile, in an E30 emulsion (oil-water mass ratio of 3:7) with 250 mg/L of PPBD, the DE of 95.23% could be obtained at 40 °C for 360 min. Especially, the DE of PPBH could reach 100% in an E70 emulsion (oil-water mass ratio of 7:3) at the same conditions. Additionally, the demulsifier (PPBH) exhibited excellent salt resistance and outperformed some commonly used commercial demulsifiers. Several methods were utilized to investigate the potential demulsification mechanism, including measuring interfacial tension (IFT), three-phase contact angle (CA), droplet contact time, zeta potential, and observing samples under optical microscopy.