Abstract:
The aim of this research was to investigate the microemulsion formation of motor oil with alcohol ethoxylates (AEs), nonionic surfactants derived from palm oil. The AEs with different numbers of the ethylene oxide group (EO) (3, 5, 7, and 9) were used for forming microemulsions at various temperatures (20C, 30C, 40C, and 50C). The addition of medium-chain alcohols (n-butanol, n-hexanol, and n-octanol) as cosurfactants was crucial to the formation of these microemulsion systems. Among the studied alcohols, n-hexanol was the most effective cosurfactant in terms of middle microemulsion phase formation (Winsor Type III microemulsion). For the same number of EO, as the temperature increased, not only the critical microemulsion concentration (CµC) was decreased, but the amount of AEs that is required in order to form Winsor Type IV microemulsion was also reduced.
