Abstract
The role of UV-irradiation on oil and its derivatives is particularly important for analyzing the degradability of specific oil compounds. Also, nanostructured-TiO2is one of the most promising photocatalysts so it is expected to be useful in their degradation. However the complexity of crude oil, as well as that of the reactions involved, is such that the effect of the presence of TiO2under illumination is not well understood. In this paper, the influence of UV-Vis irradiation on vanadium etioporphyrins, extracted from crude oil from Dos Bocas, Tabasco, Mexico, is studied using UV-Vis spectrophotometry in the absence and presence of nanostructured TiO2or nitrogen-doped TiO2modified with copper (N-TiO2/Cu). It is shown that the addition of water shortens the time to start photodegradation. However, once this process has initiated, the system enters a second stage, that is very similar for samples with or without water. It is also shown that the use of N-TiO2/Cu induces an important delay in the initiation of the porphyrins’ photodegradation process. Additionally, it has been found that the presence of TiO2in samples extracted with water induces a small reduction in the photodegradation duration and, hence, that TiO2can catalyze the degradation of petroporphyrins.
Highlights
The many substances forming part of crude oil can have a limited lifetime due to various external factors
It has been found that the presence of TiO2 in samples extracted with water induces a small reduction in the photodegradation duration and, that TiO2 can catalyze the degradation of petroporphyrins
The effects of UV-Vis illumination on crude oil extracts containing petroporphyrins have been monitored as a function of time
Summary
The many substances forming part of crude oil can have a limited lifetime due to various external factors. One of the most important degrading factors affecting oil is UV light. Photodegradation of petroleum products both in laboratory and the field have been extensively explored [2]. The effect of photolysis has been studied for a variety of pure hydrocarbons under solar and simulated solar conditions [3, 4]. It has been shown that, depending on temperature and using light intensities in the range from 200 to 750 W/m2, some water-soluble compounds such as naphthalenes and phenanthrenes can degrade rapidly. Other aromatic compounds such as alkylated benzenes did not exhibit photodegradation under these conditions [4]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
