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Oil sludge pyrolysis kinetic evaluation based on TG-FTIR coupled techniques aiming at energy recovery

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Abstract

The thermal conversion of oil sludge has been presented as a promising alternative for treating this residue in the petroleum industry. The chemical and energetic characterization of residues is essential in determining the most suitable thermochemical conversion process for their treatment and the appropriate operational parameters for the process. In this sense, this study focuses on a non-isothermal thermo-kinetic analysis of oil sludge to determine the influence of temperature and heating rate on the composition of the evolved gases produced during pyrolysis. Using the thermogravimetric analysis coupled with a Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the kinetic and thermodynamic analysis of oil sludge were carried out by applying the Kissinger, Friedman, Ozawa-Flynn-Wall, and the Coats-Redfern methods, leading to the determination of oil sludge activation energy (Ea) consonant with its pyrolysis. In a dry nitrogen atmosphere, four different heating rates were used (5, 10, 20, and 50 K min−1). The active region occurs between 373 and 873 K. The overall pyrolysis process was considered a two-step process with two conversion stages. The first one ranges from 5 to 55% conversion, with the Ea ranging from 44.10 to 45.83 kJmol−1 and the pre-exponential factor (A) ranging from 1.95 × 105 to 1.05 × 10−3 min−1. The second stage presents an Ea range from 107.38 to 134.04 kJ mol−1 and a ranging from 7.93 × 1013 to 2.91 × 10–3 min−1. The FTIR results and thermogravimetric data indicate the generation of mainly H2O, CO2, and aliphatic hydrocarbons such as –CH3, –CH2, and CH4. At 10 and 20 K min−1, the results present higher quantities of hydrocarbons and lower amounts of H2O. The results show that by increasing the process temperature and heating rate, pyrolysis can be an efficient method for treatment and simultaneous energy recovery, bio-char, and bio-oil from oil sludge.

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Due to confidentiality agreements, supporting data can only be made available to bona fide researchers subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Details of the data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Brazilian Petroleum Corporation (Petrobras), the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), the Research Support Foundation of the state of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), to the National Council for Scientific and the Technological Development (CNPq), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES), FAPERJ and the Human Resources Program of ANP (PRH-ANP 51.1).

Funding

The authors acknowledge Petrobras S.A., Fapemig, CAPES, CNPq, FAPERJ, and the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (PRH-ANP No 51.1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Excellence Group in Thermal Power and Distributed Generation (NEST), Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IEM), Federal University of Itajuba (UNIFEI), Av. BPS, n° 1303, Itajubá, MG, Brazil

    Letícia de Oliveira Silva Della Colletta, Osvaldo José Venturini & Rubenildo Vieira Andrade

  2. Group of Bioprocesses, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad del Atlántico, Carrera 30 8-49, Puerto Colombia, Atlántico, Colombia

    Alberto Ricardo Albis Arrieta

  3. Rio De Janeiro State University (UERJ), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Katherine Pugliese Barbosa

  4. Laboratory of Thermal Sciences (LATERMO), Mechanical Engineering Department (TEM/PGMEC), Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), R. Passo da Pátria 156, Niterói, RJ, Brazil

    York Castillo Santiago & Leandro A. Sphaier

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  1. Letícia de Oliveira Silva Della Colletta
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by LOSDC, ARAA, KPB, and YCS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by LOSDC and KPB. All authors contributed to previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Letícia de Oliveira Silva Della Colletta.

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Colletta, L.d.O.S.D., Venturini, O.J., Andrade, R.V. et al. Oil sludge pyrolysis kinetic evaluation based on TG-FTIR coupled techniques aiming at energy recovery. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 12795–12809 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-12555-w

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