Biodiesel as an Alternative Solvent to remove Asphaltene Deposits

Due to the harmful effects of typical aromatic solvents, the use of environmentally friendly solvents is being investigated. This paper investigates the use of biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters) produced from the transesterification reaction between canola oil and methanol in the presence of potassium hydroxide catalyst as an alternative solvent. The temperatures of the biodiesel investigated were room temperature (22oC), 50oC, 70oC and 90oC whilst the volumes used were 20ml, 30ml and 40ml. The effectiveness of aromatic solvents (benzene, toluene and xylene) was also investigated for comparison with the biodiesel solvent. The results were analyzed via mass analysis and gas chromatography. The analysis showed that biodiesel was not effective at room temperature compared to the aromatics. However, on increasing its temperature above 70oC, it becomes a very effective solvent dissolving more asphaltene than the aromatic solvents. Additionally, a larger volume of biodiesel resulted in greater asphaltene dissolution with few discrepancies.

鉴于传统芳香族溶剂的潜在危害，环境友好型溶剂的使用研究正日益受到关注。本研究探讨了以氢氧化钾为催化剂，将菜籽油与甲醇进行酯交换反应生成的生物柴油（脂肪酸烷基酯）作为替代溶剂的可行性。所研究的生物柴油温度范围包括室温（22°C）、50°C、70°C和90°C，使用的体积分别为20毫升、30毫升和40毫升。此外，还对芳香族溶剂（苯、甲苯和二甲苯）的有效性进行了研究，以与生物柴油溶剂进行对比。通过质谱分析和气相色谱法对结果进行了分析。分析结果显示，与芳香族溶剂相比，生物柴油在室温下效果不佳。然而，当其温度升高至70°C以上时，它成为一种非常有效的溶剂，能够溶解比芳香族溶剂更多的沥青质。此外，增加生物柴油的体积会导致沥青质溶解度更大，差异甚微。