Patent ID: 8741130

Claim:
A method of demulsifying an emulsion comprising water and oil, the method comprising adding an effective amount of a composition comprising a cationic surfactant to the emulsion to form a mixture and optionally applying heat to the mixture, wherein the cationic surfactant comprises one or more bolaform surfactants, one or more gemini surfactants, or any combination of the foregoing; wherein the bolaform surfactant is selected from the group consisting of: alkyl-bis(trimethylammonium halide); alkyl-bis(benzyldimethyl ammonium halide); alkyl-bis(amidopropyl-N-benzyl-N,N-dimethylammonium halide); alkyl-bis(amidopropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium halide); and any combination thereof, wherein the bolaform surfactant has an average alkyl chain length of C 6 to C 24 ; and wherein the gemini surfactant is selected from the group consisting of: (C 2 -C 12 )-bis(dimethylalkylammonium halide), (C 2 -C 12 )-bis(methylbenzyl alkylammonium halide), and any combination of thereof, wherein the (C 2 -C 12 )-bis(dimethylalkylammonium halide) and (C 2 -C 12 )-bis(methylbenzyl alkylammonium halide) have an average alkyl chain length of C 6 to C 16 .