Desulfurization of heavy oil

Applied Petrochemical Research, Volume 1, Numbers 1-4, 3-19
Desulfurization of heavy oil
Rashad Javadli and Arno de Klerk
Authors
Rashad Javadli (12)
javadli@ualberta.ca
Arno de Klerk (1)
Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4, Canada
ConocoPhillips Canada, Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
Abstract
Strategies for heavy oil desulfurization were evaluated by reviewing desulfurization literature and critically assessing the viability of the various methods for heavy oil. The desulfurization methods include hydrodesulfurization, extractive desulfurization, oxidative desulfurization, biodesulfurization and desulfurization through alkylation, chlorinolysis, and by using supercritical water.
Few of these methods are viable and/or efficient for the desulfurization of heavy oil. This is mainly due to the properties of the heavy oil, such as high sulfur content, high viscosity, high boiling point, and refractory nature of the sulfur compounds.
The approach with the best chance of breakthrough in desulfurization of heavy oil is autoxidation followed by thermal decomposition of the oxidized heavy oil. There is also scope for synergistically employing autoxidation in combination with biodesulfurization and hydrodesulfurization.
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