Development of a Non-ionic Surfactant Derived from High Oleate Ester for Potential EOR Application

Natural oil as an alternative raw material to petroleum fractions for various
applications have been given much attention due to the fluctuation of global oil price
and increasing environmental issues. Although surfactants derived from natural oil
have been produced and used in various industries, natural oil derived surfactants
have never been applied in EOR applications. This research looked into the possibility
of applying natural oil derived surfactant in EOR applications. In this research, a
nonionic surfactant has been synthesized successfully using natural oil having high
oleate ester content with a simple two-step reaction: epoxidation followed by
alkoxylation.