Biodiesel is becoming one of the most attractive alternative biofuels for petroleum-based diesel fuels. The castor plant is one of the abundant non-edible oils found in many countries. This paper aims to study Libyan castor oil and its potential for diesel conversion. Experiments were carried out in the laboratories of the Specific Center for Training in the Oil Industries in Al-Zawiya. The oil was extracted using a Soxhlet extractor and n-hexane solvent at 60 °C. Transesterification reactions were conducted in a batch reactor (a three-neck flask was used, where the middle opening carries a reflux condensation unit) at 65 °C. The methanol-to-castor oil molar ratio was 6:1, with a catalyst concentration of 1 wt.% relative to the castor oil, and the reaction time was 30 min. Castor oil was analysed and found to have a fatty acid content of 0.7%. The productivity of biodiesel exhibited 80% yield. Standard test methods of analysis were conducted to determine the biodiesel’s properties. Results indicated that the kinematic viscosity at 40 °C was 14.24 cSt, the density was 0.924 g/cm3, the cetane number (CN) was 54 and the pour point was −15 °C, indicating that castor oil biodiesel is of high quality, with a high CN and a low pour point.
Nasryia oil field is located about 38 Km to the north-west of Nasryia city. The field was discovered in 1975 after doing seismic by Iraqi national oil company. Mishrif formation is a carbonate rock (Limestone and Dolomite) and its thickness reach to 170m. The main reservoir is the lower Mishrif (MB) layer which has medium permeability (3.5-100) md and good porosity (10-25) %. Form well logging interpretation, it has been confirmed the rock type of Mishrif formation as carbonate rock. A ten meter shale layer is separating the MA from MB layer. Environmental corrections had been applied on well logs to use the corrected one in the analysis. The combination of Neutron-Density porosity has been chosen for interpretation as it is c
... Show MoreDuring the last few years, the greener additives prepared from bio-raw materials with low-cost and multifunctional applications have attracted considerable attention in the field of lubricant industry. In the present work, copolymers derived from sunflower and linseed oils with decyl methacrylate were synthesized by a thermal method using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as a radical initiator. Direct polymerization of fatty acid double bonds in the presence of a free radical initiator results in the development of environmentally friendly copolymeric additives (Co-1 and Co-2). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR) were used to characterize the resulting copolymers. Thermal decomposition of copolymers was de
... Show MoreThis study used deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the liquid membrane in a bulk liquid membrane system (BLM) to remove glycerol from waste cooking oil‐based biodiesel. The DES was prepared from choline chloride and tetraethylene glycol at a molar ratio of 1:5. Diethyl ether was employed as a novel strip phase for the glycerol in BLM. The effects of the DES: biodiesel ratio, stirring speed, and extraction time on the extraction and stripping efficiencies were investigated. The results showed that BLM could give better glycerol removal from biodiesel than mechanical shaking. Increasing the DES: biodiesel ratio, stirring speed, and extraction time can enhance glycerol removal from the feed phase, achievi
Basrah crude oil Vacuum residue 773+ K with specific gravity 1.107 and 4.87wt. % sulfur, was treated with hexane commercial fraction provided from Al-Taji Gas Company for preparing deasphaltened oil(DAO)suitable for hydrotreating process. Deasphaltening was carried out with 1h mixing time, 10ml:1g solvent to oil ratio and at room temperature. Hexane deasphaltened oil was hydrotreated on presulfied commercial Co-Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalyst in a trickle bed reactor. The hydrotreating process was carried out at temperature 660 K,LHSV 1.3 h^ –1, H2/oil ratio 300 l/l and constant pressure of 4MPa. The hydrotreated product was distillated under vacuum distillation unit. It is found that the mixture of 75% of vacuum residue with 25% anthracene satisfie
... Show More
This work aimed to identify biosurfactant-producing bacterial strains isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminatedsites and to evaluate their biosurfactant properties. The drop-collapse method and minimal agar added witha layer of diesel as carbon source were used for screening, positive strains were able to grow in a liquidmedium, and surface tension and emulsification index were determined in cell-free supernatant and cellsuspension. 250 bacterial isolate were tested, and 16 were positive for the drop-collapse and hydrocarbonlayer agar method. Most of the strains were Pseudomonas, except for three strains (Acinetobacter, Bacillus,and Rhodococcus). Surface tension was similar in cell-free and cell suspension measurements, with valuesin t
... Show MoreThe optimum conditions for production of fibrinolytic protease from an edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus grown on the solid medium , Sus medium, composed of Sus wastes (produced from extracted medicinal plant Glycyrrhiza glabra) were determined. Addition of 5% of Soya bean seeds meal in Sus medium recorded a maximum fibrinolytic protease activity resulting in 7.7 units / ml. The optimum moisture content of Sus medium supplemented with 5% Soya bean seeds meal was 60% resulting in 7.2 units / ml.Pleurotus ostreatus produced a maximum fibrinolytic protease activity when the spawn rate,pH of medium and incubation temperature were 2,6 and 30°C, respectively. The maximum fibrinolytic protease activity was 7.6 units / ml when incubat
... Show More
