Advances in Upgrading Process of Petroleum Residue: A Review

Abstract

Due to the depletion of light crude oil reserves, heavy crude oil and residues are the alternatives to meet ‎the ‎increasing global demand for light oil products. Heavy crude oil and residues are characterized by the presence of heavy ‎hydrocarbon ‎compounds which contain high levels of impurities such as metals, nitrogen, and sulfur-containing compounds. ‎Methods of ‎upgrading are required to increase refining efficiencies and to obtain high-quality products.‎ Upgrading processes can be categorized into three categories; ‎carbon rejection processes, hydrogen addition processes, and a combination of the two. The catalyst can be used with any of these processes for better improvement. Many types of research have been carried out to develop a high-performance process which is stable, high commercial products yield, and low solids formation. In this work, recent advances on petroleum residues upgrading with catalyst, solvents, and thermal cracking were reviewed. Advantages and disadvantages of each process were discussed along with conditions and main features. Nanoparticles catalysts and supercritical fluids based-processes are the trends of upgrading due to the excellent performance of these processes.

Spraying Model PAHs on a Charged TiO2 Surface for High-Efficiency Degradation

“…In the refining of petroleum, much interest exists in how to convert low-value heavy components to lighter compounds that have higher value owing to their increased petrochemical utility. − The heavy oil fractions of the crude oil can be upgraded by a number of processes, which are often limited by the high viscosity of the material, mostly owing to the asphaltene content. − Chemically, asphaltenes consist of multiring aromatic cores that are linked together, either with alkyl groups of varying length or directly, for example, with strong biaryl C–C bonds (e.g., C–C bond dissociation energy in biphenyl is ∼114 kcal/mol, see Figure a). They dissolve in an aromatic solvent but not in a paraffinic solvent and have high boiling points, often requiring solvents and catalysts at high temperatures for their upgrading. , …”