The growing demand for sustainable and high-performance asphalt binders has prompted the exploration of waste-derived modifiers. This study investigates the performance enhancement of Natural Asphalt (NA) using Sugarcane Molasses (SM) and Waste Engine Oil (WEO). The modified blends were prepared by partially replacing 50 % NA with varying proportions of SM and WEO ranging from 10 % to 40 % of the total weight of NA. Comprehensive testing was conducted, including penetration, softening point, ductility, viscosity, Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR), Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that modified blends with a high WEO content significantly increased fluidity, reducing rotational viscosity by up to 91 % for the blend with 40 % WEO and 10 % SM at 135 ◦C. Conversely, higher SM content increased stiffness, as seen in the blend with 40 % SM and 10 % WEO, with penetration values rising by 305 % compared to unmodified NA. Rheological testing showed that the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend achieved the highest rutting resistance with a Performance Grade (PG) of 88 ◦C, while the 40 % WEO and 10 % SM blend exhibited the best fatigue resistance with a 55 % reduction in G* .sinδ. Low-temperature performance was significantly improved across all blends, with the 40 % WEO and 10 % SM blend achieving the lowest creep stiffness and highest m-value, ensuring superior thermal cracking resistance. Chemical analysis revealed increased oxygen content (18.6 %) and reduced sulfur content (60 %) in the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend, indicating enhanced oxidation resistance. SEM analysis confirmed the development of dense morphology in the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend, correlating with superior structural integrity. Grey decision analysis identified the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend as the optimal blend with the lowest bull’s-eye distance, reflecting balanced performance across all parameters. These findings highlight the complementary effects of SM and WEO in enhancing the performance of NA, with the 40 % SM and 10 % WEO blend emerging as the most promising blend for bio-asphalt applications.
This study reported activity concentration of 238 U, 232 Th, 40 K in 50 soil samples AL-Nada district - Najaf Governorate - Iraq Measurement using gamma ray spectrometer NaI (TI) (3x3). The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides are found to range from (31.319 Bq.Kg-1 to (1.1583 ± 0.0821) Bq.Kg-1with average (11.851 0.281) Bq.Kg-1 of uranium 238U. From (1.117±0.048) Bq.Kg-1 to (23.948 ) Bq.Kg-1 with an average of (6.283 0.148 ( Bq.Kg-1 for thorium 232Th,.from(13.592±0.282) Bq.Kg-1 to (705.834 6.179) Bq.Kg-1 and average (265.494 1.445) Bq.Kg-1 potassium40K , equivalent radium from (12.489 0.328) Bq.Kg-1 to (84.199 1.911) Bq.Kg-
... Show MoreSadi formation is one of the main productive formations in some of Iraqi oil fields. This formation is characterized by its low permeability values leading to low production rates that could be obtained by the natural flow.
Thus, Sadi formation in Halfaya oil field has been selected to study the success of both of "Acid fracturing" and "Hydraulic fracturing" treatments to increase the production rate in this reservoir.
In acid fracturing, four different scenarios have been selected to verify the effect of the injected fluid acid type, concentration and their effect on the damage severity along the entire reservoir.
The reservoir damage severity has been taken as "Shallow–Medium– Sever
... Show MoreThe Mishrif reservoir (Cenomanian - Turonian) in the Z, H, B and N oilfields in southern Iraq was investigated to clarify how nickel, vanadium, asphaltene, NSO and sulfur content affect the crude oil quality. The GC-Mass and ICP-MS analyses were used to provide fruitful hydrocarbon results. Classification of crude oil based on API gravity broadly indicates the oil's density and general properties. Typically, lighter crude oils are easier to refine, yield higher percentages of valuable products such as gasoline and diesel, and have a higher market value. Heavier crude oils require more processing and may yield more residual products, such as heavy fuel oil and asphalt. The Mishrif crude oil was classified as a medium sour crude oil c
... Show MoreIn recent years the interest in fractured reservoirs has grown. The awareness has increased analysis of the role played by fractures in petroleum reservoir production and recovery. Since most Iraqi reservoirs are fractured carbonate rocks. Much effort was devoted to well modeling of fractured reservoirs and the impacts on production. However, turning that modeling into field development decisions goes through reservoir simulation. Therefore accurate modeling is required for more viable economic decision. Iraqi mature field being used as our case study. The key point for developing the mature field is approving the reservoir model that going to be used for future predictions. This can
Carbonate matrix stimulation technology has progressed tremendously in the last decade through creative laboratory research and novel fluid advancements. Still, existing methods for optimizing the stimulation of wells in vast carbonate reservoirs are inadequate. Consequently, oil and gas wells are stimulated routinely to expand production and maximize recovery. Matrix acidizing is extensively used because of its low cost and ability to restore the original productivity of damaged wells and provide additional production capacity. The Ahdeb oil field lacks studies in matrix acidizing; therefore, this work provided new information on limestone acidizing in the Mishrif reservoir. Moreover, several reports have been issued on the difficulties en
... Show MoreThe increasing demand for energy has encouraged the development of renewable resources and environmentally benign fuel such as biodiesel. In this study, ethyl fatty esters (EFEs), a major component of biodiesel fuel, were synthesized from soybean oil using sodium ethoxide as a catalyst. By-products were glycerol and difatty acyl urea (DFAU), which has biological characteristics, as antibiotics and antifungal medications. Both EFEs and DFAU have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The optimum conditions were studied as a function of reaction time, reactant molar ratios, catalyst percentage and the effect of organic solvents. The conversion ratio of soybea
... Show MoreNaturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) contaminated sites at Al-Rumaila Iraqi oil fields have been characterized as a part of soil remediation project. Activity of radium isotopes in contaminated soil have been determined using gamma spectrometer High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe) and found to be very high for Al-Markezia, Al-Qurainat degassing stations and storage area at Khadhir Almay region. The activity concentration of samples ranges from 6474.11±563.8 Bq/kg to 1232.5±60.9 Bq/kg with mean value of 3853.3 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 843.59±8.39 Bq/kg to 302.2±9.2 Bq/kg with mean value of 572.9 Bq/kg for 232Th and 294.31±18.56 Bq/kg to 156.64±18.1 Bq/kg with mean value of 225.5 for 40K. S
... Show MoreNasryia 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 MoreIn oil and gas well cementing, a strong cement sheath is wanted to insure long-term safety of the wells. Successful completion of cementing job has become more complex, as drilling is being done in highly deviated and high pressure-high temperature wells. Use of nano materials in enhanced oil recovery, drilling fluid, oil well cementing and other applications is being investigated. This study is an attempt to investigate the effect of nano materials on oil well cement properties. Two types of nano materials were investigated, which are Nano silica (>40 nm) and Nano Alumina (80 nm) and high sulfate-resistant glass G cement is used. The investigated properties of oil well cement included compressive strength, thickening
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