Synthesis and Application of Green Surfactant from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches’s Lignin for Enhanced Oil Recovery Studies

Abstract

Surfactants are used to reduce the interfacial tension between fluid and oil. In the implementation, the price of surfactant is expensive and limited, so it is necessary to develop surfactants which are cheap and easily obtained. Isolation of lignin from oil palm empty fruit bunches and synthesis of sodium lignosulphonate have been done by using batch method. The optimization of isolation and synthesis method was achieved through this study. The study was conducted on the optimization of lignin isolation, surfactant synthesis and EOR application processes. The optimization of lignin isolation included about size of empty fruit bunch’s, types of solvent, and reaction time. Synthesis of surfactant was done by using proven methods. In EOR test, there are consist of IFT, phase behavior, thermal stability, compatibility tests. Optimum condition for lignin isolation which include optimum empty fruit bunch’s size, reaction temperature, types of solvent and reaction time respectively are 10 mesh, reflux temperature, aquadest, and the reaction was carried out for 3 h. This reaction gave 14.56 % of yield. For sulphonation process, excellent yields and selective products were obtained (90 – 92 %). Finally, for surfactant test conducted up to the feasibility test as an EOR agent. This test was very important for a preliminary test like core flooding and another advanced test. The results demonstrated that 1 % surfactant solution have 0.2 IFT value and also great in compatibility, phase behavior, and thermal stability test.