Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1 Department of Chemistry. China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China
2 Department of Chemistry, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
Abstract
Separation of asphaltenes into multiple sub-fractions is performed using different fractionation techniques which are investigated in this study. The method chosen depends on the parameter of interest such as solubility, molecular weight difference, polarity, etc. For this write-up, the methods reviewed include sequential elution fractionation, solvent extraction, sequential extraction, column chromatography, sequential precipitation, supercritical fluid extraction, etc.
The yield and the quality of the fraction are the two important subjects for choosing the separation procedure. For example, the yield is influenced using different hydrocarbon liquids as a significant factor. In addition, the method of choice will determine the presence of co-precipitated resins or not. The advantages of some of the methods were highlighted as well as the future prospects and application of asphaltene.
Keywords
Main Subjects
OPEN ACCESS
©2024 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
PUBLISHER NOTE
Sami Publishing Company remains neutral concerning jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
CURRENT PUBLISHER
[1] Honse S.O., Ferreira S.R., Mansur C.R., Lucas E.F., González G., Separation and characterization of asphaltenic subfractions, Quimica Nova, 2012, 35:1991 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[2] Speight J.G., Petroleum Asphaltenes-Part 1: Asphaltenes, resins and the structure of petroleum, Oil & Gas Science and Technology, 2004, 59:467 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[3] Zheng F., Shi Q., Vallverdu G.S., Giusti P., Bouyssiere B., Fractionation and characterization of petroleum asphaltene: focus on metalopetroleomics, Processes, 2020, 8:1504 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[4] Speight J.G., The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, 2006 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[5] Speight J.G., Speight J., Handbook of Petroleum Analysis, 2001, 217 [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[6] Akbarzadeh K., Hammami A., Kharrat A., Zhang D., Allenson S., Creek J., Kabir S., Jamaluddin A., Marshall A.G., Rodgers R.P., Asphaltenes—problematic but rich in potential, Oilfield Review, 2007, 19:22
[Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[7] Mohammadi-Arani M.E., Zibaseresht R., Chamanara M., Mosaed R., Mahboubi-Rabbani M., Bayanati, M., Fasihi H., A Review of HPLC Methods Developed for Quantitative Analysis of Carbamazepine in Plasma Samples, Journal of Chemical Reviews, 2024, 6:76. [Crossref], [Publisher]
[8] Wang J., Buckley J.S., Asphaltene stability in crude oil and aromatic solvents the influence of oil composition, Energy & Fuels, 2003, 17:1445 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[9] Badre S., Goncalves C.C., Norinaga K., Gustavson G., Mullins O.C., Molecular size and weight of asphaltene and asphaltene solubility fractions from coals, crude oils and bitumen, Fuel, 2006, 85:1 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[10] Dechaine G.P., Gray M.R., Chemistry and association of vanadium compounds in heavy oil and bitumen, and implications for their selective removal, Energy & Fuels, 2010, 24:2795 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[11] Mitchell D.L., Speight J.G., Solubility of (athabasca bitumen) asphaltenes in (44) hydrocarbon solvents, Fuel, 1973, 52: [Crossref], [Google Scholar]
[12] Speight J.G., Handbook of petroleum refining, CRC press, 2016 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[13] Boduszynski M., Hurtubise R., Silver H., Separation of solvent-refined coal into solvent-derived fractions, Analytical Chemistry, 1982, 54:372 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[14] Boduszynski M.M., Composition of heavy petroleums. 1. Molecular weight, hydrogen deficiency, and heteroatom concentration as a function of atmospheric equivalent boiling point up to 1400 degree F (760 degree C), Energy & Fuels, 1987, 1:2 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[15] Rogel E., Roye M., Vien J., Witt M., The Boduszynski Continuum: Contributions to the Understanding of the Molecular Composition of Petroleum, American Chemical Society, 2018 [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[16] Miller J., Fisher R., Thiyagarajan P., Winans R., Hunt J., Subfractionation and characterization of Mayan asphaltene, Energy & Fuels, 1998, 12:1290 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[17] Gutiérrez L.B., Ranaudo, M.A., Méndez B., Acevedo S., Fractionation of asphaltene by complex formation with p-nitrophenol. A method for structural studies and stability of asphaltene colloids, Energy & Fuels, 2001, 15:624 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[18] Acevedo S., Escobar G., Ranaudo M.A., Piñate J., Amorín A., Díaz M., Silva P., Observations about the structure and dispersion of petroleum asphaltenes aggregates obtained from dialysis fractionation and characterization, Energy & Fuels, 1997, 11:774 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[19] Spiecker P.M., Gawrys K.L., Kilpatrick P.K., Aggregation and solubility behavior of asphaltenes and their subfractions, Journal of colloid and interface science, 2003, 267:178 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[20] Acevedo S., Escobar G., Ranaudo M.A., Piñate J., Amorín A., Díaz M., Silva P., Observations about the structure and dispersion of petroleum asphaltenes aggregates obtained from dialysis fractionation and characterization, Energy & Fuels, 1997, 11:774 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[21] Tojima M., Suhara S., Imamura M., Furuta A., Effect of heavy asphaltene on stability of residual oil, Catalysis Today, 1998, 43:347 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[22] Sadeghi K.M., Sadeghi M.A., Wu W.H., Yen T.F., Fractionation of various heavy oils and bitumen for characterization based on polarity, Fuel, 1989, 68:782 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[23] Boduszyński M., Chadha B.R., Szkuta-Pochopień T., Investigations on Romashkino asphaltic bitumen. 3. Fractionation of asphaltenes using ion-exchange chromatography, Fuel, 1977, 56:432 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[24] Schwager I., Kwan J.T., Lee W.C., Meng S., Yen T.F., Separation and characterization of synthoil asphaltene by gel permeation chromatography and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry, Analytical Chemistry, 1979, 51:1803 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[25] Strausz O.P., Peng P.a., Murgich J., About the colloidal nature of asphaltenes and the MW of covalent monomeric units, Energy & Fuels, 2002, 16:809 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[26] Carbognani L., Preparative subfractionation of petroleum resins and asphaltenes. I. Development of size exclusion separation methodology, Petroleum Science and Technology, 2003, 21:1685 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[27] Haley G.A., Molecular and unit sheet weights of asphalt fractions separated by gel permeation chromatography, Analytical Chemistry, 1971, 43:371 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[28] Morantes L.R., Percebom A.M., Mejía-Ospino E., On the molecular basis of aggregation and stability of Colombian asphaltenes and their subfractions, Fuel, 2019, 241:542 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[29] Nalwaya V., Tantayakom V., Piumsomboon P., Fogler S., Studies on asphaltenes through analysis of polar fractions, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 1999, 38:964 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[30] Kaminski T.J., Fogler H.S., Wolf N., Wattana P., Mairal A., Classification of asphaltenes via fractionation and the effect of heteroatom content on dissolution kinetics, Energy & Fuels, 2000, 14:25 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[31] Wattana P., Fogler H.S., Yen A., Carmen Garcìa M.D., Carbognani L., Characterization of polarity-based asphaltene subfractions, Energy & Fuels, 2005, 19:101 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[32] Yang X., Hamza H., Czarnecki J., Investigation of subfractions of Athabasca asphaltenes and their role in emulsion stability, Energy & Fuels, 2004, 18:770 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[33] Schabron J.F., Rovani Jr J.F., Sanderson M.M., Asphaltene determinator method for automated on-column precipitation and redissolution of pericondensed aromatic asphaltene components, Energy & Fuels, 2010, 24:5984 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[34] Schabron J.F., Rovani Jr J.F., On-column precipitation and re-dissolution of asphaltenes in petroleum residua, Fuel, 2008, 87:165 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[35] Rogel E., Ovalles C., Moir M.E., Schabron J.F., Determination of asphaltenes in crude oil and petroleum products by the on column precipitation method, Energy & Fuels, 2009, 23:4515 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[36] Ovalles C., Rogel, E., Moir, M., Thomas, L.,Pradhan, A., Characterization of heavy crude oils, their fractions, and hydrovisbroken products by the asphaltene solubility fraction method, Energy & Fuels, 2012, 26:549 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[37] Rogel E., Ovalles C., Vien J., Moir M., Asphaltene content by the in-line filtration method, Fuel, 2016, 171:203 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[38] Fenistein D., Barre L., Experimental measurement of the mass distribution of petroleum asphaltene aggregates using ultracentrifugation and small-angle X-ray scattering, Fuel, 2001, 80:283 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[39] Barré L., Simon, S.,Palermo, T., Solution properties of asphaltenes, Langmuir, 2008, 24:3709 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[40] Guiliano M., Boukir A., Doumenq P., Mille G., Crampon C., Badens E., Charbit G., Supercritical fluid extraction of bal 150 crude oil asphaltenes, Energy & Fuels, 2000, 14:89 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[41] Zhang L., Xu Z., Shi Q., Sun X., Zhang N., Zhang Y., Chung K.H., Xu C., Zhao S., Molecular characterization of polar heteroatom species in Venezuela Orinoco petroleum vacuum residue and its supercritical fluid extraction subfractions, Energy & Fuels, 2012, 26:5795 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[42] Zheng F., Chung W., Palmisano E., Dong D., Shi Q., Xu Z., Chung K.H., Molecular characterization of polar heteroatom species in oilsands bitumen-derived vacuum residue fractions by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry, Petroleum Science, 2019, 16:1196 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[43] Marques J., Merdrignac I., Baudot A., Barré L., Guillaume D., Espinat D., Brunet S., Asphaltenes size polydispersity reduction by nano-and ultrafiltration separation methods–comparison with the flocculation method, Oil & Gas Science and Technology-Revue de l'IFP, 2008, 63:139 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[44] Marques J., Guillaume D., Merdrignac I., Espinat D., Barré L., Brunet S., Asphaltene cross-flow membrane ultrafiltration on a preparative scale and feedstock reconstitution method, Oil & Gas Science and Technology-Revue de l'IFP, 2009, 64:795 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[45] Subramanian S., Simon, S., Gao, B.,Sjöblom, J., Asphaltene fractionation based on adsorption onto calcium carbonate: Part 1. Characterization of sub-fractions and QCM-D measurements, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2016, 495:136 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[46] Subramanian S., Sørland G.H., Simon S., Xu Z., Sjöblom J., Asphaltene fractionation based on adsorption onto calcium carbonate: Part 2. Self-association and aggregation properties, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2017, 514:79 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[47] Ruwoldt J., Subramanian S., Simon S., Oschmann H., Sjöblom J., Asphaltene fractionation based on adsorption onto calcium carbonate: Part 3. Effect of asphaltenes on wax crystallization, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2018, 554:129 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[48] Fan S., Liu H., Wang J., Chen H., Bai R., Guo A., Chen K., Huang J., Wang Z., Microwave-assisted petroporphyrin release from asphaltene aggregates in polar solvents, Energy & Fuels, 2020, 34:2683 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[49] Mullins O., Pomerantz, A.,Zhang, Y. in SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition? D021S028R007 (SPE) [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[50] Giusti P., Bouyssière B., Carrier H., Afonso C. Vol. 32 2641 (ACS Publications, 2018). [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[51] Ashoori S., Sharifi M., Masoumi M., Salehi M.M., The relationship between SARA fractions and crude oil stability, Egyptian Journal of Petroleum, 2017, 26:209 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[52] Chacon-Patino M.L., Vesga-Martinez S.J., Blanco-Tirado C., Orrego-Ruiz J.A., Gomez-Escudero A., Combariza M.Y., Exploring occluded compounds and their interactions with asphaltene networks using high-resolution mass spectrometry, Energy & Fuels, 2016, 30:4550 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[53] Gharbi K., Benamara C., Benyounes K., Kelland M.A., Toward Separation and Characterization of Asphaltene Acid and Base Fractions, Energy & Fuels, 2021, 35:14610 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[54] Cossey H.L., Guigard S.E., Underwood E., Stiver W.H., McMillan J., Bhattacharya S., Supercritical fluid extraction of bitumen using chemically modified carbon dioxide, The Journal of Supercritical Fluids, 2019, 154:104599 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[55] Ansari S., Mohammadi M.R., Bahmaninia H., Hemmati-Sarapardeh A., Schaffie M., Norouzi-Apourvari S., Ranjbar M., Experimental measurement and modeling of asphaltene adsorption onto iron oxide and lime nanoparticles in the presence and absence of water, Scientific Reports, 2023, 13:122 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[56] Ansari S., Bahmaninia H., Mohammadi M.R., Ostadhassan M., Norouzi-Apourvari S., Schaffie M., Ranjbar M., Hemmati-Sarapardeh A., On the evaluation of asphaltene adsorption onto dolomite surface: The roles of flow condition, composition of asphaltene, and dolomite size, Alexandria Engineering Journal, 2022, 61:9411 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[57] Rezvani H., Kazemzadeh Y., Sharifi M., Riazi M., Shojaei S., A new insight into Fe3O4-based nanocomposites for adsorption of asphaltene at the oil/water interface: an experimental interfacial study, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2019, 177:786 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[58] Ismail A.I., Atta A.M., El-Newehy M., El-Hefnawy M.E., Synthesis and application of new amphiphilic asphaltene ionic liquid polymers to demulsify Arabic heavy petroleum crude oil emulsions, Polymers, 2020, 12:1273 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[59] AlHumaidan F.S., Rana M.S., Vinoba M., AlSheeha H.M., Ali A.A., Navvamani R., Synthesis of graphene derivatives from asphaltenes and effect of carbonization temperature on their structural parameters, RSC Advances, 2023, 13:7766 [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
[60] Ahmed Adam O.E.A., Al-Dujaili A.H., The removal of phenol and its derivatives from aqueous solutions by adsorption on petroleum asphaltene, Journal of Chemistry, 2013, 2013: [Crossref], [Google Scholar], [Publisher]
)