MORPHOLOGICAL AND SPECTROSCOPIC CHARACTERIZATION OF ASPHALTENES FROM DIFFERENT HEAVY OILS

Abstract

It  was  studied  the  morphology  of  asphaltenes  Zuata,  Boscan  and  Morichal  from  differents  heavy  and  extra  heavy Venezuelan oils, and San Jacinto asphaltenes from an extra heavy Peruvian oil through scanning electron microscopy. The spectroscopy  characterization  was  performed  by  infrared  absorption,  proton  nuclear  magnetic  resonance  and  carbon  13 nuclear magnetic resonance to the resins and asphaltenes Boscan. In order to study the effect of the precipitating agent, the asphaltenes  Zuata  and  Morichal  were  precipitated  using  n-pentane  and  n-heptane  as  aliphatic  solvents,  it  found  that according decreases the molecular mass of precipitating agent increases the porosity of the asphaltenes after completing the  respective  Soxhlet  extraction  to  remove  resins  adsorbed  and  occluded.  Asphaltenes  Boscan  and  San  Jacinto  were precipitated with n-heptane, showed similar morphological structures, where the only difference may be attributable to the composition  of  oil  as  well  as  the  origin  and  geochemical  processes  involved  in  the  formation  of  oil.  Moreover spectroscopic  characterization  performed  for  asphaltene  and  resin  Boscan  precipitated  with  n-heptane  showed  the  high content of aromatic rings, linear and branched aliphatic chains present in its structure.