Oil consists of numerous organic compounds, which are separated into fractions based on their boiling points. The light fractions’ compounds are used to produce solvents and motor fuels, while the medium fractions produce aviation fuel, diesel, raw materials for polymers, and some detergents. However, the heavy fractions, such as tar, are considered oil refining waste and must be recycled, according to scientists from Surgut State University and their research published in a journal.
The efficiency of producing these products, which can be used in medicine and electronics, is primarily determined by the structure of asphaltenes. These are materials that are hundreds and thousands of times heavier and more complex in composition than the octane present in gasoline. Valentina Igoreva, a researcher at the Scientific and Educational Center of the Institute of Natural and Technical Sciences at Surgut State University, explained the method: “Imagine asphaltenes as a mixture of large, sturdy Lego pieces and many small, fragile ones. When placed in a powerful reactor, the small pieces simply harden to form a single mass (amorphous graphite). But the large pieces do not dissolve; instead, they gather to form complex and useful structures, nanofibers, and nanospheres.”
Igoreva emphasized, “We have demonstrated that the production of the useful solid product from asphaltenes exceeds 50% of its original mass. This is a high figure for such processing operations.” In the future, specialists intend to test this technique on a wide industrial scale and apply the new processing method to other types of petroleum raw materials.
