Investigating the Effect of Adding Nano-Fe2O3 to Heavy Fuel Oil in the Process of Solvent Deasphalting: Modeling and Optimization by Response Surface Method

Malek, Mohammadreza; Samipoor Giri, Mohammad; Rashidi, Alimorad; Majidian, Nasrolah

doi:10.22050/ijogst.2024.464037.1712

Investigating the Effect of Adding Nano-Fe2O3 to Heavy Fuel Oil in the Process of Solvent Deasphalting: Modeling and Optimization by Response Surface Method

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Mohammadreza Malek ¹

mohammad samipoor giri ²

Alimorad Rashidi ³

Nasrolah Majidian ²

¹ Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran,Iran

² Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

³ Nanotechnology research center ,research institute of petroleum industry

10.22050/ijogst.2024.464037.1712

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.

Highlights

Nano-Fe₂O₃ improves the heavy fuel oil properties;
Nano-Fe₂O₃ is effective in the yield of solvent deasphalting process;
Nano-Fe₂O₃ improves the asphaltene adsorption performance, reduces the sulfur content of fuel oil, and resolves the environmentally side effects;

Keywords

Solvent Deasphalting

Nano-Fe2O3

Heavy Fuel Oil

Response Surface Method

Subjects

Chemical Engineering

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