In Surgut, scientists have created a unique method for processing oil refining waste into innovative materials for medicine and electronics. Research has shown that more than 50% of such waste can be recycled using the plasma method.
The method was developed by specialists from Surgut State University (Surgut State University) in collaboration with colleagues from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU).
Oil consists of various organic substances, which are separated into fractions depending on the boiling point. Light fractions are used for the production of gasoline and solvents, medium fractions are used for aviation fuel and diesel. Heavy fractions, such as tar, are considered waste and require disposal. Scientists noted that they can be recycled into useful materials.
In the course of the work, specialists proposed a method for converting oil waste into carbon nanomaterials, including graphite-like structures and nano-onions. The efficiency of the method is determined by the structure of asphaltenes — substances that are hundreds and thousands of times heavier in mass and more complex in composition compared to octane from automobile gasoline.
Imagine that asphaltenes are a mixture of large, strong Lego building blocks and many small, fragile parts. When we put them in a powerful reactor, the small parts simply sinter into a single lump (amorphous graphite). But the large blocks do not melt, but are assembled into complex and useful structures — nanofibers and nanospheres.
The method implies that asphaltenes are placed in a plasma arc, where the temperature reaches 10,000 K. The recycling process takes only a minute, which makes it highly efficient compared to traditional methods. According to Egorova, the yield of solid product is more than 50% of the initial mass. This is an impressive result.
In the future, the team plans to scale up its technology for industrial application and explore the possibility of using the method for other types of oil raw materials.