Description
The depletion of fossil resources calls for a shift towards a new, post-petroleum society. With its cross-cutting nature, the bio-economy offers a unique opportunity to address these complex and inter-connected challenges, while achieving economic growth. At the heart of this vision are bio-refineries which are expected to gradually replace oil refineries with renewable resources. Within this framework, BioLAS proposes an alternative to the production of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate (LAS), obtained from non-renewable sources. Not only does the project offer a solution for obtaining LAS from vegetable oil, but also an energy efficiency improvement and mitigation of the carbon foot print. LAS have emerged as the dominant precursor of surfactants, especially of biodegradable detergents (3 million of tons), and is expected to be increased. The rise on the demand as well as the increasing environmental awareness results in market opportunities for BioLAS. CEPSA Center will collaborate with ICP-CSIC and the Universities of Bergen and Oslo.
Summary of project results
With the increase of world population and the decrease of fossil resources dwindling, Europe needs to review the management and use of renewable biological resources. The depletion of fossil resources calls for a shift towards a new, post-petroleum society. The project proposed an alternative to the production of LAS, commonly obtained from non-renewable sources. Not only did the project offer a solution for obtaining LAS from vegetable oil but an improvement of the energy efficiency of the project. The main results are: • Producing n-paraffins using vegetable oils is technically viable. Using distillation, the optimum paraffins ranges have been obtained to be used as raw material. The LAS production from vegetable source paraffins to be used in conventional detergency and in EOR techniques is technically viable. The evaluation of both BioLAS and BioEOR surfactants concluded that non-appreciable differences are observed respect from fossil origin. The research about the new..
Summary of bilateral results
CIPR- Univ. Bergen: Their main task has been the evaluation of the EOR type LAS and determining their efficiency. Therefor they have evaluated plant and petrochemical origin LAS to be used in oil improved extraction and they have taken part in the development of several trials (surfactant solubility, determining the appropriate co-solvent to improve solubility, study of the interfacial tension (IFT), evaluation of the behavior of surfactant phases in ternary systems hydrocarbon-water-surfactant, behavior in field conditions through core-flooding trials). Univ. Oslo: Their main task has been the new catalysts synthesis for alkylation and, although it was not foreseen, they have also worked in catalyst alternative regeneration methods, studying 2 different catalysts (an amorphous material and a crystalline)using X ray diffraction techniques,N2 adsorption and desorption isotherms, thermogravimetic analysis in air or CO adsorption, …