Comprehensive study on cleaner production of heavy oil from Athabasca oil sands using chemical additives in biodiesel-assisted ambient-aqueous bitumen extraction process

Zhu，Yeling1; Lu，Yi1; Liu，Qingxia1; Masliyah，Jacob1; Xu，Zhenghe1,2

2020-12-20

10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122940

Journal of Cleaner Production   影响因子和分区

0959-6526

1879-1786

The massive unconventional petroleum resources of Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, Canada are currently being excavated and processed using the hot water bitumen extraction (HWBE) process and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) technology. A major challenge associated with HWBE process is high energy intensity for maintaining an operation temperature of 40–55 °C. Solvent-assisted ambient aqueous bitumen extraction processes, in which a portion of solvent is added for oil sands pretreatment prior to extraction process, have been reported to be capable of reducing the energy intensity via ambient temperature oil sands extraction operations. However, there is still a gap between the current solvent-assisted process and industrial expectations. This study focuses on optimization of biodiesel-assisted ambient aqueous bitumen extraction, an example of the solvent-assisted process, by incorporating methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) and ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO-PO) copolymer in oil sands pretreatment. The idea is to take advantage of such chemicals and demulsifiers used downstream of heavy oil (known as bitumen) extraction process by their addition upfront as in the case of biodiesel-assisted hybrid extraction process. With the incorporation of these chemicals and demulsifiers in the improved biodiesel-assisted process, both bitumen liberation and bitumen flotation efficiency were improved significantly with the addition of biodiesel/MIBC mixture at 10 wt% of bitumen. The results from bench-scale experiments revealed a higher bitumen recovery and a cleaner bitumen froth by the improved biodiesel-assisted process at ambient temperature as compared with the traditional biodiesel-assisted process, as well as current industrial HWBE process, featuring a cleaner production of heavy oil from Athabasca oil sands and other heavy oil resources.

Biodiesel Enhanced oil recovery Ethylene oxide-propylene oxide demulsifier Heavy oil Methyl isobutyl carbinol Oil sands

SCI ; EI

英语

通讯

Science & Technology - Other Topics ; Engineering ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Green & Sustainable Science & Technology ; Engineering, Environmental ; Environmental Sciences

WOS:000586917600026

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

20203209019617

Enhanced recovery ; Heavy oil production ; Flotation ; Petroleum additives ; Methanol ; Propylene ; Solvents ; Bituminous materials ; Ethylene ; Oil sands ; Temperature ; Biodiesel ; Demulsification

Bituminous Materials:411 ; Oil Field Production Operations:511.1 ; Petroleum Deposits:512.1 ; Petroleum Refining, General:513.1 ; Liquid Fuels:523 ; Thermodynamics:641.1 ; Chemical Operations:802.3 ; Chemical Agents and Basic Industrial Chemicals:803 ; Chemical Products Generally:804 ; Organic Compounds:804.1

2-s2.0-85089018771

Scopus

1.Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering,University of Alberta,12th Floor - Donadeo Innovation Centre for Engineering (ICE),Edmonton,9211 - 116 Street,T6G 1H9,Canada
2.Department of Materials Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Zhu，Yeling,Lu，Yi,Liu，Qingxia,et al. Comprehensive study on cleaner production of heavy oil from Athabasca oil sands using chemical additives in biodiesel-assisted ambient-aqueous bitumen extraction process[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production,2020,277.

Zhu，Yeling,Lu，Yi,Liu，Qingxia,Masliyah，Jacob,&Xu，Zhenghe.(2020).Comprehensive study on cleaner production of heavy oil from Athabasca oil sands using chemical additives in biodiesel-assisted ambient-aqueous bitumen extraction process.Journal of Cleaner Production,277.

Zhu，Yeling,et al."Comprehensive study on cleaner production of heavy oil from Athabasca oil sands using chemical additives in biodiesel-assisted ambient-aqueous bitumen extraction process".Journal of Cleaner Production 277(2020).