Application of a novel surface-active green demulsifier for demulsification of field crude oil emulsion

In the petroleum industry, generally surface-active chemicals are used to break the crude oil emulsion. But these chemicals are toxic and less biodegradable, which can cause environmental pollution. Therefore, in this paper, eco-friendly demulsifiers (LA1 and LA2) were synthesized by esterification based on fatty acid having low cost and biodegradability. It was characterized by FTIR, NMR, DLS analysis, and TGA. The synthesized demulsifiers were comprehensively characterized by evaluating the micellization parameters such as CMC, Amin, etc. The demulsification performance of synthesized demulsifiers was studied through the static bottle test method. The effect of temperature, demulsifier concentration, pH, settling time, and water content on the demulsification efficiency was thoroughly examined. The result shows that both demulsifiers have excellent surface-active properties. The demulsification mechanism of demulsifiers was elucidated by measuring dynamic interfacial tension and rheological behavior. The bottle test results indicated that the LA1 demulsifier gave 100% separation efficiency at 70°C in 90 min, which performed better than the commercial demulsifier. The present study will give a new route for the eco-friendly and cost-effective treatment of asphaltene-based crude oil emulsion.