REPRECIPITATION OF RESIN FROM CRUDE OIL MALTENE USING SINGLE LOWER N-ALKANE SOLVENT AND ITS BINARY MIXTURE

This study investigates the reprecipitation of crude oil maltene using lower carbon number solvents and reduced solvent volume. Single and binary n-alkane mixtures were used to induce composition changes in the crude oil. The resulting precipitates are fractionated and analyzed using UV-visible spectroscopy. The resin absorbance content increases with higher carbon numbers; heptane(C7) > hexane (C6) > pentane (C5) in single phased precipitation. In binary mixtures, the total relative absorbance follows the order C6:C7 > C5:C7 > C5:C6. Higher volumes of higher carbon number solvents yielded higher resin content. The lower solvent (C5), binary mixture of the lower solvent (C5:C6) and the highest ratios of the lower solvent mixture are better solvent to precipitate the resin content. Moreso, equal volume binary mixtures are favourable solvent for resin content.