FORMULATION OF GREEN DEMULSIFIER FOR WATER-INCRUDE OIL EMULSIONS

Chemical treatment is the most common method for resolving water-in-crude oil
emulsions due to its many advantages. However, most conventional chemical
demulsifiers are expensive, toxic and non-biodegradable, and have been listed among
hazardous oilfield chemicals. Thus, the formulation of effective eco-friendly
demulsifiers from Malaysia's local materials was the focus of this work. The study
investigated the kinetics of stability of water-in-crude oil emulsions and their
destabilization under the influence ofsodium methyl ester sulfonate (SMES) and castor
oil. SMESand castor oil are respectively anionic and nonionic materials that are locally
available, environmentally friendly and possess potential demulsifying properties such
as interfacial film forming.