A method for converting aqueous demetallization products into dispersed metal oxide nanocatalysts in heavy oil
Date
2012
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Metallic heteroatoms deactivate expensive catalyst and, thus, should be removed at early stages during crude oil processing. Electro and biological demetallization are examples of two emerging techniques which remove the metallic heteroatoms; mainly nickel and vanadium, into ions or ionic complexes ultimately residing in the aqueous phase of a two phase water/oil system. This work investigates the conversion of the aqueous metallic species into metal oxide nanoparticles, which are effective upgrading catalysts, dispersed in the oil phase. The conversion step commenced in-situ within a water-in-oil emulsion structure, and the resultant nanoparticles remain very well dispersed in the heavy oil phase. The product nanoparticles were characterized, after successful collection from the oil phase, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDX). Despite the complexity of the heavy oil system, results confirmed the in-situ formation of NiO and V2 05 nanoparticles with mean sizes of 20 and 15 nm, respectively. Some aggregates have, nevertheless, formed, due to the relatively high temperature requirement of the method.
Investigating the catalytic role of the as-prepared nanoparticles was limited to the NiO nanoparticles, since only low concentrations of V20s could be prepared. An attempt to increase the concentration of dispersed V2 05 by using precursors with higher solubility in water was not successful. A semi-batch reactor setup was employed to investigate the catalytic hydrocracking of heavy oil in the presence of dispersed NiO nanoparticles. On the other hand, batch reactor arrangement was employed to study the thermalcracking of heavy oil in the presence of dispersed NiO nanoparticles.
Description
Bibliography: p. 76-82
Keywords
Citation
Abdrabo, A. A. (2012). A method for converting aqueous demetallization products into dispersed metal oxide nanocatalysts in heavy oil (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/4838