Castor oil biodiesel production and optimization

Biodiesel is evolving to be one of the most employed biofuels for partial replacement of petroleum based diesel fuel, especially in recent years. The most widely used feedstocks for biodiesel production are vegetable oils. In this work, biodiesel production from castor oil has been synthesized by homogenous alkaline transesterification. The influence of catalyst concentration, methanol:oil molar ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time in the methyl ester content reached by castor oil transesterification have been evaluated. A yield of 95?wt% biodiesel was achieved at 1?wt% KOH, 60?°C, 9:1 methanol:oil ratio and 30?min reaction time. Transesterification at temperature 30?°C gave a yield compatibles with that obtained at 60?°C. The composition of the fatty acid methyl ester was determined by Gas Chromatography. The castor oil biodiesel produced was blended with different concentrations of petrodiesel to obtain B5, B10 and B20. The biodiesel properties and its blends were determined according to the standard test methods of analysis. The results showed that Castor oil biodiesel in the blends could lower the cloud point value, but simultaneously, increases the viscosity of the diesel–biodiesel blends. Thus, castor oil biodiesel with its very low cloud and pour points is suitable for using in extreme winter temperatures.     

Hydrotreating of Gas Oil,Jatropha Oil,and Their Blends Using a Carbon Supported Cobalt-Molybdenum Catalyst

Hydrotreating of Jatropha oil and Jatropha oil blended gas oil feeds were studied under diesel hydrotreating conditions using Cobalt-Molybdenum catalyst on activated carbon. The experiments were carried out in pilot plant for more than 90 days first with gas oil, followed by 5%, 10%, and 20% Jatropha oil in gas oil and finally with Jatropha oil alone. Deactivation of the catalyst was not observed up to hydrotreating of 20 wt% Jatropha oil in gas oil, but, the reactor pressure shoots up after seven days of running neat Jatropha oil. The liquid products were characterized by GC-MS analysis, distillation, density, sulfur, nitrogen, and Cetane Index.     

Production of biodiesel from unused algal biomass in Punjab, India

Biodiesel from inedible sources has become prominent in last few decades. But it is economically incompatible with petroleum diesel. At the same time, both petro-diesel and biodiesels are concerned with environmental pollution, global warming, etc. Algae, on the other hand, utilize CO2 for their growth and can minimize some sort of pollution level and results in carbon credit for a country. In Punjab, India, algae are seen to grow in many water bodies. But all those are taken away and dumped in vats. Some of this huge biomass was used for production of biodiesel in this work. Extraction of oil from algae was conducted by using Soxtherm(solvent extraction). An amount of 9 wt% of algal oil was extracted by comparatively costly hexane, whereas 8% extraction was done by cheaper acetone. In the transesterification reaction, molar ratio(methanol: oil) of 6:1, catalyst(KOH) concentration of 3 wt%, reaction temperature of 60 °C, 60 min reaction time and a settling time of 2.5 h were found to be optimum conditions to get maximum ester with minimum free fatty acid content and viscosity. A statistical analysis for the transesterification procedure also showed a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 6:1 and catalyst concentration of 3 wt% to be the optimum. Characterization of biodiesel was done and compared with ASTM/BIS standards. Most important properties of biodiesel ester like viscosity(3.12 c St or 3.12 mm2/s), cloud and pour point(-1 and-6 °C, respectively), flash and fire point(153 and 158 °C), carbon residue content(0.03%), acid number(0.36 mg of KOH/gm) were within the range of concerned standards.     

Wild melon: a novel non-edible feedstock for bioenergy

In the present research work, a non-edible oil source Cucumis melo var. agrestis(wild melon) was systematically identified and studied for biodiesel production and its characterization. The extracted oil was 29.1% of total dry seed weight. The free fatty acid value of the oil was found to be 0.64%, and the single-step alkaline transesterification method was used for conversion of fatty acids into their respective methyl esters. The maximum conversion efficiency of fatty acids was obtained at 0.4 wt% Na OH(used as catalyst), 30%(methanol to oil, v/v) methanol amount, 60 ℃ reaction temperature,600-rpm agitation rate and 60-min reaction time. Under these optimal conditions, the conversion efficiency of fatty acid was 92%. However, in the case of KOH as catalyst, the highest conversion(85%) of fatty acids was obtained at 40%methanol to oil ratio, 1.28 wt% KOH, 60 ℃ reaction temperature, 600-rpm agitation rate and 45 min of reaction time.Qualitatively, biodiesel was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy(GC–MS). FTIR results demonstrated a strong peak at 1742 cm~(-1), showing carbonyl groups(C=O)of methyl esters. However, GC–MS results showed the presence of twelve methyl esters comprised of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, non-decanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, octadecadienoic acid and octadecynoic acid. The fuel properties were found to fall within the range recommended by the international biodiesel standard, i.e., American Society of Testing Materials(ASTM): flash point of 91 ℃, density of 0.873 kg/L, viscosity of 5.35 c St, pour point of-13 ℃, cloud point of-10 ℃, total acid number of 0.242 mg KOH/g and sulfur content of 0.0043 wt%. The present work concluded the potential of wild melon seed oil as excellent non-edible source of bioenergy.     

Enhanced oil recovery by means of alkali injection. Behavior of the SARA fractions

Abstract

The presence of an alkali such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) within a process of enhanced recovery of crude oil having certain acidity allows the formation of surfactants with the ability of enhancing the separation of the crude oil from the reservoir rock where it is adsorbed due to a change of wettability. This work focused on studying the effect of NaOH on the enhanced recovery, in terms of the SARA composition, of two different API gravity crude oils (38.5 and 24.1°) having different total acid number. The results showed the existence of acid components with high and low reactivity to NaOH in the crude oil, where the first group is responsible of the in-situ synthesis of the surfactant. Moreover, it was found that the utilization of the alkali improved the recovery of the SARA fractions for each crude oil, especially for the 24.1°API crude oil for which the recovery resulted twice or three times higher to the evaluated for the 38.5°API crude oil. Additionally, it was found that a minimum of 0.2?wt% of NaOH reduced up to 4 times the value of the interfacial tension between the crude oil and the brine, regardless of the type of crude oil.     

超重力技术生产高碱值石油磺酸钙的中试工艺及后处理研究

在小试成熟工艺技术的基础上,建成1套年产1 kt润滑油清净剂的超重力反应器中试装置,采用该装置进行生产高碱值石油磺酸钙润滑油清净剂的中试试验研究,并对高碱值石油磺酸钙合成过程中产生的“三废”进行处理。中试试验结果表明：碳酸化反应的最佳时间为58～62 min,该时间内,反应产物的碱值最高达到315.2 mgKOH/g,相应的运动黏度为35.6 mm2/s;采用卧式螺旋离心机对粗产品进行预处理的效果好于传统釜式法的预沉降脱渣方法;超重力反应器中试生产的高碱值石油磺酸钙润滑油清净剂的性能优于传统釜式工艺产品,且满足石化行业标准SH/T0042-91中一级品的质量要求。确定的“三废”处理技术的应用效果良好,实现了超重力中试生产过程的低污染物排放。     

Treatment of oily sludge using solvent extraction

Baiji oil refineries produce 3000–3500?m³/year of oily sludge. This sludge is hard to be biodegraded, contains large quantities of crude oil, and hard to be transported into landfill sites. The aim of the present work is to treat this oily sludge by solvent extraction in order to separate this sludge to many components that are easy to deal with and recover the valuable crude oil. Different solvents types are used in this work: light naphtha, heavy naphtha, kerosene, gasoline, and methyle ethyle keton. The results show that methyle ethyle ketone gives crude oil extraction efficiency of 95%, solid separation of 24%, and water separation of 94% under 60?°C.     

含油污泥调剖技术研究与应用

对原油回收站废弃含油污泥及联合站罐底含油污泥组分进行了分析，研制出了一种新的调剖剂。通过室内试验，筛选了适合含油污泥条件的分散剂及固化剂，确定了应用浓度。利用该调剖剂进行现场试验，降低了调剖成本，取得了显著增油效果。     

High operative heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

Our work aims to produce a new catalyst that was a highly operative in the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil WCO. A heterogeneous solid acid catalyst (RS-SO₃H) was prepared by fast pyrolysis of rice straw, then it was followed by a sulfonation process. It was formed by using concentrated sulfuric acid. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed that the chemical structure consists of sheets of amorphous carbon with hydroxyl and carbonyl (OH and COOH) groups as well as high density of SO₃H. The surface area of RS–SO₃H and the average pore size were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface area analyzer. The results of Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that RS–SO₃H has favorable thermal stability. Conventional energy sources were exhausted. So, we examined the catalyst activity on developing alternative energy resources, It became more imperative and environment friendly. WCO is attracting increased attention in the biodiesel production by transesterification process. The factors affecting the transesterification process include reaction time and temperature, catalyst concentration and methanol: oil molar ratio, were studied. The maximum mass yield of biodiesel extended to 90.37%. The content of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) is around 97.71 wt%, conversion efficiency% of raw material reached 90.38 wt% and %free fatty acid (%FFA) conversion was 91.1% at optimum conditions: 10 wt% catalyst using methanol: oil molar ratio (20:1) at 70 °C for 6 h. The FAME content% was determined by gas chromatography (GC). The physicochemical properties of the biodiesel produced are close to the commercial diesel and the ASTM standards biodiesel D6751. The reusability of the used catalyst indicated that the catalyst was highly operative in production biodiesel. Where % conversion efficiency of raw oil under optimized conditions decreased from 90.37 to 88.56% after 8 cycles. The %FFA conversion was constant around 91.1% until 7 runs then it decreased.     

聚乙烯类废塑料与含油污泥混合焦化的技术研究

在实验室的焦化试验装置上,进行了聚乙烯类废塑料与含油污泥单独焦化和混合焦化的试验研究,对反应温度、反应时间、混合比例等工艺条件对液体产率的影响进行了考察.结果表明,混合焦化有利于提高液体收率,废塑料与含油污泥在混合比例为8:2条件下混合焦化,液体收率可高达74.5%,焦化产品中有7%的汽油组分,37%的柴油组分,56%的蜡油组分.     

The Positive Effects of Biomass Materials as Additives on Dehydration Performance and the Pyrolysis System of Oily Sludge

The focus of the research is the minimizing amount of oil sludge via dehydration. The effects of using combination of polyaluminum chloride and biomass as additives on the possible improvement of the dehydration performance (evaluated via water content of oily sludge) of oil sludge and on the yield of pyrolysis oil at 723 K were investigated. The main influencing factors of dehydration considered in the experiment are biomass species and dosage, temperature, and flocculation time. The water content of oily sludge was significantly reduced when biomass ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 wt% on dosage ratio. The best phase dehydration performance was obtained from Apricot shell of 0.5 wt% at 313–323 K at flocculate time of 30–40 min, while the highest recovery percent of pyrolysis oil (33.54%) was obtained from Walnut shell of 1.0 wt%. The results indicate that the positive effects of the biomass in oily sludge on the improvement of dehydration performance and on recovery rate of the pyrolysis oil were observed. The main reasons that the improvement of dehydration performance may be responsible for the mixtures containing different proportions of oil sludge and biomass. The pyrolysis of the mixtures can increase the yield of pyrolysis oil and the higher heating value of oily sludge.     

Optimization of safflower oil transesterification using the Taguchi approach

Biodiesel is an alternative renewable fuel which is produced by using biomass resources. Its physicochemical properties are close to those of the petroleum diesel fuel. This study highlights biodiesel production from safflower seed oil. The main aim of this experimental work is to optimize the process parameters, namely the methanolto-oil molar ratio, catalyst concentration, reaction time and reaction temperature for biodiesel production. The Taguchi robust design approach was used with an L9 orthogonal array to analyze the influence of process factors on performance parameters. The results showed that the optimum yield of biodiesel was 93.8% with viscosity 5.60 c St, with a methanol-to-oil molar ratio of 4:1, catalyst concentration of 1.5 wt%, reaction time of 90 min and reaction temperature of 60 ℃. The catalyst concentration was found to be the most influencing parameter which contributed 51.1% and 50.8% of the total effect on the yield of biodiesel, Y_1, and viscosity of biodiesel, Y_2, respectively.     

CATALYTIC HYDROTREATMENT OF PETROLEUM RESIDUE

ABSTRACT

Iraqi reduced crude (350°C+) with a sulfur content of 4.3 wt% and a total metal content (Ni+V) of 141 WPPM was n-heptane deasphalted at specified conditions. The deasphalted oil (97.2 wt% of original residue) contains 4.1 wt% of sulfur and 103 ppm of metal. The original reduced crude and deasphalted oil were hydrotreated on a commercial Ni-Mo-alumina catalyst presulfided at specified conditions in a laboratory trickle-bed reactor. The reaction temperatures varied from 300 to 420°C with the liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) ranging from 0.37 to 2.6 h^?1. Hydrogen pressure was kept constant throughout the experiments at 6.1 MPa, with a hydrogen/oil ratio of about 300 NLL^?1 (normal liters of hydrogen per liter of feedstock). Analysis for sulfur, nickel, vanadium and n-pentane asphaltenes were carried out for hydrotreated products from both the original residue and the deasphalted oil. The comparison of the results obtained for the hydrotreatment of deasphalted oil and original reduced crude indicates that the removal of sulfur, nickel and vanadium was higher for the deasphalted oil than those obtained for the non-deasphalted residue over the entire range of conversion. The exclusion of extremely high molecular weight asphaltenes by n-heptane deasphalting seems to improve the access of oil into catalyst pores resulting in higher desulfurization and conversion of the lower molecular weight asphaltenes. The sulfur content of n-pentane precipitated asphaltenes remained unchaneed with LHSV for various temperature for hydrotreated products produced from both deasphalted oil and original reduced crude.     

Molecular characterization of biosurfactant producing Bacillus cereus strain DRDU1 for its potential application in bioremediation and further EOR studies

Abstract

Environmental pollution by crude oil during petroleum exploration is a global issue of concern. It largely alters the physicochemical property of soil and water which makes them toxic for crops and aquatic organisms to survive. Bacillus cereus strain DRDU1 (Genbank accession no. KF273330.1) is an endospore forming potential hydrocarbon degrader which was isolated from an automobile engine. The isolate could achieve up to 96 and 84% kerosene and crude oil degradation with respective cfu of (6.3?±?2.31)?×?10⁹ and (13.67?±?2.52)?×?10⁸ cells/mL. On the other hand it also showed its potential to degrade 74 and 67% of kerosene and crude oil in nitrate (N) and phosphate (P) deficient media with corresponding cfu (10?±?1.73)?×?10⁸ and (6?±?2.65)?×?10⁶ cells/mL. This indicates its potential to survive under nutrient stress condition. The strain was reported to be capable of producing biosurfactant which may play role in petroleum biodegradation and may be a potential tool for Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) studies in future. Herein the presence of sfp gene in the isolate was confirmed which may be responsible for its ability to synthesize biosurfactant for hydrocarbon degradation and also for its stress tolerant potential. It was further characterized and the hypothetical protein sequence encoded by this gene is also proposed.     

Treatment of oily sludge produced from Baiji oil refineries using surfactants

Baiji oil refineries produce 3000–3500 m³/year of oily sludge which is hard to be biodegraded, contains large quantities of crude oil, and hard to be transported into landfill sites. The aim of the present work is to treat this oily sludge by surfactants (SAS116B, SAS135SC, CC2439, and Chimec 4309) taking into account the possibility of controlling surfactant dose (SD) and temperature. The results show that SAS135C gives crude oil extraction efficiency of 97.5%, solid separation of 29.6%, and water separation of 98% under 60?°C and surfactant dose of 2.5%.     

Recovery of crude oil from oily sludge in an oilfield by sophorolipid

Oily sludge is a hazardous waste, so its improper disposal not only pollutes the environment but also endangers human health. In this study, following the principle of resource recycling, reduction and harmless treatment of oil sludge, we used sophorolipid, a biological surfactant, to wash and recover oily sludge in an oilfield. Then, the influence of technological parameters (such as concentration, temperature, mud liquid ratio, and stirring speed), on oil content in sediment was investigated. The lowest residual oil content was when sophorolipid－concentration was 0.05%, the temperature was 35?°C, the mud-to-liquid ratio was 1:3, the stirring speed was 350 r/min, and the stirring time was 2?h. The glycolipid surfactant showed potential industrial application value as it recovered 78.62% of the crude oil from the oily sludge and reduced the oil content of the sediment to less than 2%.     

Fuel properties and emission characteristics of biodiesel produced from unused algae grown in India

The high price of different biodiesels and the need for many of their raw ingredients as food materials are the main constraints to be overcome when seeking the best potential alternative fuels to petro-diesel. Apart from that, some properties like high density, viscosity and acid value along with low cloud and pour points preclude their use in compression ignition(CI) engines as these properties can cause serious damage to the parts of the engine and reduce engine life. In this experiment, biodiesel was produced from the oil of unused algae by a two-step ‘acid esterification followed by transesterification' procedure. Taguchi's method was applied to design the experiment, and a L25 orthogonal array was prepared to optimize the biodiesel production procedure. The optimized conditions for transesterification were: methanol to oil molar ratio of 6:1, catalyst(KOH) concentration of 2.5 wt%, reaction time of 90 min and reaction temperature of 50 ℃,achieving a biodiesel production of 89.7% with free fatty acid content of 0.25%. It was found that the CI engine emitted less CO, CO_2 and hydrocarbon and higher NO_x using algal biodiesel than that using petro-diesel. All properties of the algal biodiesel were within the limit of ASTM standards.     

STUDY ON BLENDS OF CRUDE OIL WITH SLUDGE LEFT IN KUWAITI OIL LAKES

ABSTRACT

An attempt has been made to determine the optimum amount of light crude oil (API=37) to be added to sludge left in Kuwaiti oil lakes to make a blend that has acceptable properties for refining purposes. Blends of different proportions were prepared and examined. Tests on selected physical properties such as API gravity, salt content, sulfur content, and viscosity were carried out. Analysis of experimental data indicated that a two weight percent blend of sludge with light crude oil would be the most appropriate proportion that will not jeopardize the specifications required by the refinery.

Experimental values of viscosity were compared with some of the available predictive correlations. The true boiling point (TBP) distillation was conducted to obtain yields of different cuts that could be produced out of the optimum proportion of the blends. Distillation curve for the 2wt% blend of sludge with light crude oil was compared with the distillation curves for each component of the blend.     

STUDIES ON SLUDGE FROM STORAGE TANK OF WAXY CRUDE OIL PART - I : STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF DISTILLATE FRACTIONS

ABSTRACT

Tank bottom sludge from storage tanks of Bombay High crude oil deposited during ten years have been studied. The yield of the sludge is approximately 0.1% wt. of the crude oil through-put. The residue boiling above 500°C amounts to over 50%. The distillate fractions collected at 50°C intervals have been analysed extensively and compared to fractions from whole crude of same boiling range. The sludge distillate are distinctly more paraffinic in nature.     

孤岛油田中一区馆3 区块聚合物驱后微生物驱油先导试验

为了探索微生物驱油技术在聚合物驱后油藏的适应性和驱油效果,在孤岛油田中一区馆3区块开展了先导试验。在室内筛选了激活剂配方,有效激活了试验区块的内源微生物群落;同时筛选了4株在油藏环境下能大量生长繁殖的外源高效驱油菌种,对试验区原油具有良好的乳化作用。室内物理模拟驱油实验结果表明,聚合物驱后微生物驱可提高驱油效率7.8%～8.3%。在室内实验基础上开展了现场试验,油井产出液跟踪检测结果表明,油藏微生物得到了有效激活,且具有良好的代谢活性,代谢产物乙酸根质量浓度最高可达105 mg/L;生产动态分析表明,试验后油藏的生产动态得到了显著改善,提高采收率为1.27%,试验期间试验区采出程度提高了4.7%,达57.8%。