Patent ID: 7671098

Claim:
A method for demulsifying an oil/water emulsion, said method comprising adding to said emulsion a crosslinked alkoxylated polyglycerol, said polyglycerol being the product of an acid- or alkali-catalyzed condensation of glycerol at temperatures between 200 °C. and 300 °C., crosslinked with a multifunctional electrophilic compound having a molecular weight of from 1000 to 100 000 units measured by gel permeation chromatography with standard polyethylene glycol and comprising 5 to 100 glycerol units which are alkoxylated with C 2 -C 4 -alkylene oxide groups or a mixture of such alkylene oxide groups so that the crosslinked alkoxylated polyglycerol has a degree of alkoxylation of from 1 to 100 alkylene oxide units per free OH group, said crosslinked alkoxylated polyglycerol being added to the oil/water emulsion in amounts of from 0.0001 to 5% by weight, based on the oil content of the emulsion to be demulsified.