Synthesis and performance evaluation of polymeric surfactant from rice husk and polyethylene glycol for the enhanced oil recovery process

Abstract

A tertiary recovery technique is needed to recover the remained oil in the oil field after primary and secondary recoveries, which can only recover approximately 30–50% of the total oil. This study investigated the synthesized polymeric surfactants from rice husk and polyethylene glycol (PEG) for the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process as a tertiary recovery technique. The rice husk was used as sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) surfactant production feedstock. SLS-PEG polymer surfactant from rice husk has not been widely studied, especially for the EOR process. This study has comprehensively investigated the effect of PEG concentration on the polymeric surfactant properties. The surfactants were characterized using Fourier transform-Infrared (FTIR) analysis. Several other tests were also conducted, including surfactant compatibility, viscosity, thermal stability, interfacial tension (IFT), and phase behavior. It was found that the PEG introduction to the SLS surfactant could increase the hydrophilic property of the polymeric surfactant due to the presence of the C−O−C group. In addition, the IFT value decreased with the increase in the PEG concentration due to the increase in the hydrophilic property. However, the IFT value decreased when the PEG concentration was too high. The lowest IFT value was obtained at the SLS to PEG ratio of 1:0.8. It produced the highest increase in the additional recovered oil after brine flooding. The results showed that the rice husk, which is agricultural waste, could be utilized as a feedstock for the surfactant production.