Influence of Ionic Liquids on the Viscoelastic Properties of Crude Oil Emulsions

Thermochemical treatments are traditionally employed to perform the separation between the oil and water phases in the petroleum industry. The chemical agents have the function of reducing the barrier rigidity formed by natural surfactants present in the emulsion, thus favoring destabilization. The main objective of this study was to analyze the viscoelastic properties of samples composed of water and a crude oil with the addition of distinct ionic liquids. The methodology used to obtain the interfacial properties was the pedant drop technique. The results showed that the addition of the ionic liquids induced a reduction in the interfacial elasticity and an increase in the compressibility of interfacial films. It was also observed that an enhancement in the alkyl chain length has a positive effect on changing the interfacial properties. The ionic liquid with the highest alkyl chain length investigated ([C12min]+[NTf2]−) showed the ability to produce the more elastic films for the crude oil investigated.