Naphthenic acid extraction and speciation from Doba crude oil using carbonate-based ionic liquids

K. Anderson, M. P. Atkins, P. Goodrich*, C. Hardacre, A. S. Hussain, R. Pilus, D. W. Rooney

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A number of tetraalkylammonium methylcarbonate and hydrogencarbonate based ionic liquids are shown to be capable of reacting with the naphthenic acids contained in Doba crude oil via a neutralisation reaction. Spectral studies show that the ionic liquids neutralisation mechanism involves the formation of an ionic liquid-naphthenate complex, liberating methanol and carbon dioxide. Extraction of the neutralised complex into a separate methanol phase and subsequent regeneration using aqueous carbonic acid results in ∼70% of the ionic liquid being recovered for recycle. Isolation of the naphthenic acids shows that these make up to 0.85 wt% of the crude oil. Speciation of the naphthenic acids shows a mixture of monocyclic, through to tetracyclic structures with carbon numbers in the range C12-C40.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)60-68
Number of pages9
JournalFuel
Volume146
Early online date19 Jan 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2015

Keywords

  • Naphthenic acid
  • Methylcarbonate ionic liquid
  • Extraction
  • Neutralisation
  • Regeneration
  • Recycle
  • VACUUM FRACTION
  • REMOVAL
  • WATER
  • DECARBOXYLATION
  • CATALYSTS
  • CORROSION
  • SOLVENTS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Naphthenic acid extraction and speciation from Doba crude oil using carbonate-based ionic liquids'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this