| abstract |
A method of purifying a mixture, said mixture comprising an oil Product, at least one additive and water; wherein: said oil Product is a liquid fuel oil composition or lubricating oil composition, at least part of the water is in the form of a dispersion of water in said Product, and said additive is a cyclic compound comprising m units of the formula (Ia) and n units of the formula (Ib) joined together to form a ring, wherein each y and Y2 is a divalent bridging group which may be the same or different in each unit; R0 is H or (C¿1?-C6) alkyl or is a metal cation, R?5¿ is H or (C¿1?-C60) alkyl; J is 1 or 2; R?3¿ is hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl or a hetero-substituted hydrocarbyl group; either R1 is hydroxyl and R?2 and R4¿ are independently either hydrogen, hydrocarbyl or heterosubstituted hydrocarbyl, or R2 or R4 are hydroxyl and R1 is either hydrogen, hydrocarbyl or hetero-substituted hydrocarbyl; and m+n is from 4 to 20, m is from 1 to 8 and n is at least 3; said method comprising: providing said mixture, coalescing at least part of said water in said dispersion into separable droplets of water, and separating said droplet water from an oil phase comprising the oil Product and Additive of reduced non-dissolved water content. |