Study On Influence Of Structure Of Ionic Liquids Assisting Solvent To Extract Bitumen From Oil Sands

Consumption of oil and other fossil fuels is increasing, oil sands, shale gas and other unconventional energy development are imperative. Especially, the shale gas revolution in the United States a few years ago has changed the structure of the world energy pattern. Rich reserves of oil sands mining is much-needed innovative ways to separate bitumen from oil sands, because the traditional hot alkaline washing method can produce intractable tailings water. In recent years, some researchers has adding ionic liquid.to solvent to separate bitumen from oil sands. But the research of influence of different ionic liquids to extraction is needed.The effect of toluene or acetone/heptane complex solvent to the solid particle entrainment was researched. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy demonstrated that when the centrifugal speed was at 7000 rpm and the solvent was toluene, the absorption peaks of SiO2 and kaolin were observed, but when it was acetone/heptane complex solvent and the centrifugal speed was even at the lowest 300 rpm, the absorption peaks of SiO2 and kaolin didn't show.16 kinds of ionic liquids was used separately to enhance bitumen recovery from oil sands by solvent extraction using toluene or composite solvent of n-heptane/acetone. The results demonstrated that the extraction ratio was decreased when the length of 1-position carbon chain of 1-alkyl-3-methyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate. And the ionic liquids mentioned can reduce the solid in bitumen. When the substituent group of 1-positon of imidazole ring was n-hexyl of ionic liquids, the extraction ratios of bitumen were all lower than it using acetone/heptane alone. The two kinds of trifluoromethanesulfonic salt ionic liquids was detected in bitumen when they were used in the experiments.N-ethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate could improve the extraction ratio by 13% when it was added to acetone/heptane composite solvent. And the SARA analysis shows that the N-ethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate can improve the recovery of asphaltene. By atomic force microscope experiment, interactions between SiO2 and bitumen membrane, can be effectively reduced in different ionic liquids compare to in 0.1 mM KCl aqueous solution.