Investigating the Effect of Adding Nano-Fe2O3 to Heavy Fuel Oil in the Process of Solvent Deasphalting: Modeling and Optimization by Response Surface Method
Volume 12, Issue 3, Summer 2023, Pages 34-51
https://doi.org/10.22050/ijogst.2024.464037.1712
Mohammadreza Malek, mohammad samipoor giri, Alimorad Rashidi, Nasrolah Majidian
Abstract Burning fuel oil presents a significant problem due to the harmful release of sulfur dioxide gases, which contribute to acid rain and environmental damage. Fuel oil contains a sulfur-rich asphaltene component, but the issues associated with burning this fuel oil can be mitigated through solvent deasphalting. This method isolates a portion of the asphaltene, thereby reducing the problems related to fuel oil combustion. In this study, the introduction of Nano-Fe2O3 into the fuel oil improved the efficiency of the solvent deasphalting process by up to 51% under optimal conditions (with a solvent-to-fuel oil ratio of 10 and a 5% weight percentage of Nano-Fe2O3). As a result, the sulfur content in fuel oil decreased from 3.5% to 2.71% by weight, reflecting a 22.5% reduction. Various analyses, including XRD, BET, FESEM, and FTIR, were used to examine the Nano-Fe2O3. Additionally, the Response Surface Method from Design Expert software was employed for statistical analysis and optimization. The experimental design included two numerical variables: the percentage of Nano-Fe2O3 (ranging from 1 to 5% by weight) and the solvent-to-fuel oil ratio (ranging from 5 to 10). The remaining sulfur in fuel oil and the efficiency of the asphaltene separation process were the dependent variables under investigation. Mathematical models were introduced to analyze these output variables, showing a high level of significance in predicting their behavior based on the independent variables, with predicted R2 values of 0.8218 and 0.9843, respectively.