Abstract
Abstract Heavy alkyl benzene sulfonates are inexpensive surfactants that are extensively used as oil-displacing agents during tertiary oil recovery. Among these, C16–18 heavy alkyl benzene sulfonates possess an excellent ability to reduce the oil-water interface tension. In this study, hexadecylbenzene sulfonic acid (HBSA) was synthesised in a continuous stirred-tank microreactor using a continuous method with 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) dilution. Post-sulfonation liquid SO3 solution was used as a sulfonating agent for hexadecylbenzene (HDB). The effects of reaction conditions, such as the SO3:HDB molar ratio, sulfonation temperature and sulfonation agent concentration, on the yield and purity of the product were investigated. Optimisation of the reaction process yielded high-quality HBSA samples with a purity exceeding 99 wt%. The continuous sulfonation process significantly enhanced the production and efficiency in the case of a considerably short residence time (10 s) in the reactor, without the need for aging. The results of this study demonstrate significant potential for application in industrial production.
Highlights
Heavy alkyl benzene sulfonates are inexpensive surfactants that are extensively used as oil-displacing agents during tertiary oil recovery
The microreactor used in this study contained a stainless-steel tube with thin walls and a small diameter, which could gradually extract heat from the sulfonation reaction
As the temperature increases from 40°C to 50°C, the yield of hexadecylbenzene sulfonic acid (HBSA) is seen to remain nearly constant at ∼92.54 wt%
Summary
Abstract: Heavy alkyl benzene sulfonates are inexpensive surfactants that are extensively used as oil-displacing agents during tertiary oil recovery. C16–18 heavy alkyl benzene sulfonates possess an excellent ability to reduce the oil-water interface tension. Hexadecylbenzene sulfonic acid (HBSA) was synthesised in a continuous stirred-tank microreactor using a continuous method with 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC) dilution. Post-sulfonation liquid SO3 solution was used as a sulfonating agent for hexadecylbenzene (HDB). The effects of reaction conditions, such as the SO3:HDB molar ratio, sulfonation temperature and sulfonation agent concentration, on the yield and purity of the product were investigated. Optimisation of the reaction process yielded high-quality HBSA samples with a purity exceeding 99 wt%. The continuous sulfonation process significantly enhanced the production and efficiency in the case of a considerably short residence time (10 s) in the reactor, without the need for aging. The results of this study demonstrate significant potential for application in industrial production
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