Abstract
Approximately 300 million barrels of water are produced daily from hydrocarbon extraction worldwide, highlighting the need for improved treatment and disposal methods. In chemical oil recovery using SDBS (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate), surfactant-emulsified water is generated, which can affect the integrity of production and transport pipelines. This study evaluates activated carbon derived from palm kernel shells for two purposes: removal of SDBS from produced water and analysis of its impact on the corrosion of API N-80Q steel. Activated carbon was prepared using an H3PO4 impregnation ratio (0.2:1) and pyrolyzed at 430 °C for 30 minutes. Bet analysis showed a surfaces area of approximately 800 m2/g, while FTIR-ATR confirmed the presence of aromatic, alkyl, and carbonyl functional groups. In synthetic water containing 1000 ppm of SDBS, the activated carbon achieved around 90% removal efficiency, attributed to its pore distribution and active sites. Tests were conducted ad 25 °C and 65 °C. Electrochemical measurements, including open circuit potential (OCP), linear polarization, and Tafel extrapolation, were performed using an EMSTAT 4SHR potentiostat. Results indicate that temperature and SDBS concentration are the main factors influencing the corrosion rate of API N-80Q steel. Approximately 300 million barrels of water are produced by the hydrocarbon extraction process worldwide each day. Therefore, new studies and tools are needed to treat and dispose of this water in surface projects. During the process of chemical oil recovery using SDBS (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate), surfactant-emulsified water is produced. The composition of this water can affect the integrity of production and transport pipelines. This research explores the use of activated carbons derived from palm kernel shells for two purposes: firstly, to remove the surfactant SDBS from production waters; and secondly, to analyses the impact of water quality on the integrity of API N-80Q steel. In the first stage, activated carbon was prepared from palm kernel shell with an H3PO4 impregnation ratio (0.2:1). The pyrolysis test was then performed in a tubular reactor at 430 °C for 30 minutes. The BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) results showed that the surface area of the activated carbon was approximately 800 m2/g. Additionally, FTIR-ATR infrared spectroscopy data revealed the presence of functional groups associated with aromatic, alkyl, and carbonyl species. In synthetic water containing 1000 ppm of SDBS, activated carbon demonstrated an efficiency of around 90% in removing the substance. This can be attributed to the availability of active sites and the pore distribution of the activated carbon. The tests were performed at ambient (25 °C) and reservoir (65 °C) temperatures. To this purpose, an electrochemical cell was constructed for open circuit potential (OCP) measurements, linear polarization techniques and Tafel extrapolation using an EMSTAT 4SHR potentiostat. The electrochemical results revealed that temperature and SDBS are the key factors influencing the corrosion rate of API N80Q steel.
