Dispersion of asphaltene aggregates by zwitterionic surfactants: influence of cations structure

The precipitation and deposition of asphaltenes are significant challenges in the petroleum industry resulting in substantial costs. A practical approach to addressing this issue is to use chemicals as inhabiting and dispersing agents. Zwitterionic surfactants are interesting materials in this field. In this study, three zwitterionic compounds including 2-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium-3-yl)butane-1-sulfonate (MIBS), 4-(pyridin-1-ium-1-yl) butane-1-sulfonate (PBS), and 4-(tributylammonio)butane-1-sulfonate (TBBS) were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric, and differential thermal analysis. The ability of these zwitterions to prevent asphaltenes precipitation was investigated using interfacial measurements, ultraviolet spectroscopy, quartz microbalance analysis, particle size analysis, and optical microscopy. The results showed that the MIBS zwitterion, which contains an imidazole cation, was the most effective in dispersing asphaltene aggregates compared to the other two zwitterions. For instance, the UV spectroscopy results showed that the dispersion indexes for MIBS, PBS, and TBBS were 52.8%, 29.9%, and 16.3%, respectively. In addition, the size of asphaltene particles reached from 2179 nm to 622, 1489, and 2038 nm for MIBS, PBS, and TBBS, respectively. Finally, a comparison between the performance of these zwitterions with sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) and tetrabutylammonium hydrogen sulfate (TBAHS) showed the following trend: MIBS (90.5%)> PBS (79.4%) > TBAHS (75%)> SDS (73.9%) >TBBS (46%).