In London, the Nanotera Group has launched plant-based surfactants for enhanced oil recovery. The cleaning agents reduce processing time by performing quickly, Nanotera says.
“The oil industry has been slowly going through a phase of transformation over the last decade pulling away from chemical-based cleaning products and increasingly calling for plant-based renewable products that work highly effectively without the potential to harm users and the environment,” says Saba Yussouf, Director at Nanotera. “Pan-globally this is a topic that is high on every government’s agenda. Eventually, it is expected that legislation will make this change compulsory in most countries.”
The products can be used in enhanced oil recovery, tank cleaning, equipment maintenance, oil herding, oil/water separation and rig maintenance. They clean by reducing the surface tension of the oil. The surfactants break down organic contaminants, oil and water emulsions and remediate hydrocarbons without polluting the treated product.