%0 Journal Article
%T Production of a New Emulsifier Material for the Formation Heavy Hydrocarbon/Water Emulsion
%A Afshin Farahbakhsh
%A Majid Taghizadeh
%A Bagher Yakhchali
%A Kamyar Movagharnejad
%J International Journal of Industrial Chemistry
%D 2011
%I Springer
%X Emulsifiers are a unique class of compounds that have proved to have a variety of potential applications in formation of hydrocarbon in water emulsion, in enhancement of oil recovery and in the reduction of heavy oil viscosity. In this paper, a bio emulsifier was synthesized by a strain of Bacillus licheniformis and was separated by an autoclave and centrifugal process; the purification of bio emulsifier and the increase quality of product was done by adding sulfuric acid (H2SO4) (98%) to the solution and centrifuging this compound again. This bio emulsifier has the property of emulsification to a wide range of heavy hydrocarbon to form a stable hydrocarbon-water emulsion. This bio emulsifier could reduce Iranian Nuroze high viscosity oil of about 10000 cP down to 250 cP. This means about 97% decreases in the viscosity. The emulsion stable this condition for 48 hr and the viscosity slowly increases to 4000cp until 192 hr. The stability of the oil in water emulsion during 48hr allows the heavy oil to be transported practically over lengthy distances or remain stable for long periods of time prior to utilization.
%K bio emulsifier
%K heavy crude oil
%K oil/water emulsions
%U http://www.ijichem.org/FCKUploaded/file/Archive%20Issue/2011/2/2/Article_3.pdf