| abstract |
Oil and water emulsions containing a high molecular weight polymer (e.g. a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) and a surfactant (e.g. monovalent cation-containing petroleum sulfonate) are broken with a de-emulsifying agent made up of a divalent cation-containing salt, e.g. CaCl2, and a strong oxidizing or reducing agent, e.g. sodium hypochlorite or hydrazine. |