Extraction of aromatic from lube oil using a surfactant as an additive

Solvent extraction is a practical method for the reduction of lube oil aromatic content. Common solvents are phenol, furfural, and N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP). The extractive power and the selectivity parameters can be increased by the addition of surfactants, which facilitates phase separation and consequently increases the refinery yield. The operatory extraction temperatures and surfactant concentrations ranged, respectively, from 333.15 to 343.15K and from 0.01 to 0.1%wt. Optimal extraction conditions were systematically determined by measuring the temperatures and surfactant concentrations. The amounts of aromatic, paraffinic, and naphthenic compounds were compared to ASTM standards, namely refractive index (RI), viscosity, molecular weight, and sulfur content. The experimental results show that the best results were realized with 0.01%wt of surfactant and at 343.15K.