Demulsification of Crude Oil in Water (O/W) Emulsions using Graphene Oxide

Implementation of nanotechnology in oil and gas industries, particularly for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has recently gained interest. In this work, graphene oxide (GO) has been synthesized and used as nano-demulsifier for crude oil in water (O/W) emulsions. GO was synthesized by using modified Hummers' method and characterized using X-Ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Subsequently, the nano-demulsifier's performances were tested to Field D crude oil-water emulsions by varying nano-demulsifier concentrations and contact time. The performances of GO for demulsication of crude oil-in-water emulsions were then determined by measuring the oil contents in water using a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. Demulsification tests indicated that the optimum GO concentration was around 20-40 ppm, while the optimum contact time was 30 min. The residual oil content in the separated water was as low as 100 ppm. This might be due to the amphiphilic properties of GO. It indicates that the GO is a promising demulsifier and by further understanding the intrinsic interaction between GO and crude oil, the performances of GO can be easily tailored in the future. (paper)