Abstract
Three bio-based crude oil emulsion breakers have been prepared from agricultural waste by chemical treatment of cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) extract with triethanolamine via a one-pot reaction at 120 ℃. The triethanolamine-ester derivatives were characterized by Fourier Transform–InfraRed spectroscopy. Their effectiveness as crude oil emulsion breakers were investigated experimentally using the bottle test method. The effect of solvent type, water content, and concentration of the emulsion breaker, was used to study the demulsification process and determine their demulsification efficiency at a temperature of 60 ℃ for a contact time of 180 min. A commercial demulsifier, PhaseTreat 4633 (PT-4633) was used as a benchmark. Performance evaluation of the prepared emulsion breakers revealed their effectiveness in descending order as: triethanolamine dianacardate (TED) > triethanolamine trianacardate (TET) > triethanolamine anacardate (TEA). The data reveals that their emulsion breaking efficiency increases with increasing emulsion water content, and concentration. PT-4633 exhibited better demulsification efficiency than the triethanolamine-esters in xylene across the concentration and water content studied. Improved water separation was however observed for the triethanolamine-esters in butanol, as triethanolamine trianacardate (TET) performed better than PT-4633 at 10 ppm to 20 ppm at 30% water content with a water separation of 83.33% and 80% respectively. The evaluated triethanolamine ester derivatives exhibited better emulsion breaking potentials in butanol than xylene at shorter times, which may be due to the synergistic effect of butanol. Therefore, butanol could be used as a sustainable solvent substitute for xylene in demulsifier formulations.
Highlights
As oil prices take a plunge and the market becomes increasingly competitive, reduction of oil production costs becomes a major necessity
The hot extraction method involves; the roasting process at 300 °C, hot oil bath process and steam processing at 270 °C, the Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) obtained by this method is referred to as Technical CNSL (TCNSL)— majorly composed of cardanol, while cold extraction method involves; solvent extraction using acetone, hexane, ethanol, toluene or by a hydraulic press and the CNSL obtained via this method is referred to as Natural CNSL (NCNSL)— majorly composed of anacardic acid [5, 6]
NCNSL has been found to be effective as demulsifiers [7] and has been used in the synthesis of phenolic resins that were effective as pour point depressants (PPDs) in waxy crude oils [8]
Summary
As oil prices take a plunge and the market becomes increasingly competitive, reduction of oil production costs becomes a major necessity. The huge importation costs accrued on oilfield production chemicals is a major foreign exchange loss for Nigeria because being consumables in our oil production facilities, the demand is almost unending. These oilfield production chemicals can be developed locally and at minimal costs by utilizing locally available. Applied Petrochemical Research (2021) 11:209–233 tall order Many of these industrially relevant natural products are contained in locally abundant non-food biomass and agro-waste materials in Nigeria. Most conventional chemicals used in breaking crude oil emulsions are toxic, this study is focused on the development of eco-friendly, surface-active agents (surfactants) acting as demulsifiers, based on Triethanolamine derivatives of cashew nutshell liquid and their effectiveness as crude oil emulsion breakers. Previous works [7, 9] focused on the demulsification efficiency of NCNSL and its ethanolamine-ester derivatives as demulsifiers and crude-oil emulsion breakers respectively
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