Green Hydrogen Production from Waste Car Batteries and its potential application in Cleaning Paraffin Deposits from Oil Pipelines

Summary

The oil sectors in the GCC is vital for global energy security and the oil and gas based projects are expected to grow significantly from 2023 to 2033. Paraffin deposition in oil and gas pipelines is a challenging issue that disturbs the operational efficiency, escalation of maintenance costs, and also affects the productivity. Paraffin adheres to the inner surfaces of pipelines over a period of time, forming stable thick deposits that suppress the flow of hydrocarbon through the pipes and lead to reduced throughput, augmented operational costs, corrosion, and erosion of pipe walls. The conventional paraffin removal methods are very expensive and also technically more challenging. Improper handling and disposal of automotive batteries can pose health and environmental risks due to presence of lead and sulphuric acid content, necessitating proper handling and recycling to mitigate these risks. This challenging issue can be solved by producing green hydrogen from waste car batteries, which can be employed in the cleaning of paraffin deposits from oil pipelines. Hence, this research focused on the integration of renewable energy system through green hydrogen produced from waste car batteries by electrolysis process. The green hydrogen obtained through the electrolysis process will be mixed with silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiNPs) developed through green synthesis route from neem leaves will be utilized for cleaning of paraffin deposits from oil pipelines. This innovative and eco-friendly approach curtails the environmental impact of battery disposal issues and offers a sustainable and cost effective solution in the removal of paraffin deposits. This unique research initiative exemplifies Oman’s perseverance towards greener technology in achieving the sustainable energy future. Embarking on a transformative trajectory, this research aligns with the strategic development of Oman for sustainability focusing on green hydrogen production from waste car batteries within the context of Oman Vision 2040 and satisfying the goals and targets of UNSDG – 2030.

 Objectives

1.      To perform extensive literature survey on various methods of production of green hydrogen and to study its feasibility in removing paraffin from oil pipelines;

2.      To collect waste car batteries from the municipal landfill, design and fabricate the bench-scale experimental set up for the production of green hydrogen;

3.      To perform experiment on the production of green hydrogen using the fabricated set up and to estimate the yield.

4.      To prepare of SiNPs from neem leaves by Biosynthesis technique; and analyze the nanoparticles using Braumer Emmet Teller (BET), UV Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Zeta potential, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis (EDX), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis and measurements.

5.      To perform experiment on paraffin removal by integrating green hydrogen and SiNPs as inhibitor at different operating parameters (pH, temperature, exposure time), paraffin deposition rates and to assess the effectiveness of inhibitor

Funding Agency:

MOHERI