Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 28 No 4 (2024): 737 - 745

DEVELOPMENT OF WATER-BASED DRILLING MUD BY USING LIGNIN FROM NATURAL RESOURCES AS THINNING AGENT

(Pembangunan Cecair Penggerudi Berasaskan Air Menggunakan Lignin Sebagai Agen Penipisan)

Mohd Saiful Omar Ali, Jeyshran Ravi, Abdullah Mudin, and Nor Hanimah Hamidi^*

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah,

Lebuh Persiaran Tun Khalil Yaakob, 26300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

^*Corresponding author: nhanimah@umpsa.edu.my

Received: 26 January 2024; Accepted: 29 April 2024; Published: 27 August 2024

Abstract

Drilling in a geological formation at high temperatures and pressures during offshore oil and gas exploration is often the cause of water-based mud damage. This study extracts lignin from coconut husk, oil palm fibre, and sawdust through the organosolv process. This lignin was a thinning agent in a water-based drilling mud formulation. The lignin was characterised by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The IR spectra of both lignin and lignosulfonic acid sodium salt showed bands at 3695.52 cm^–1 and 2972.38 cm^–1, indicating hydroxyl groups in phenolic and aliphatic structures, the stretching of C-H bonds in aromatic methoxyl groups and methyl and methylene groups of side chains, respectively. When analysing mud properties, lignin's rheological and fluid loss properties were compared to lignosulfonic acid sodium salt, a commercial thinning agent. The dosage determination tests indicated that 0.6% was the optimum choice of lignin and lignosulfonic acid sodium salt. After thermal ageing, the rheological properties and fluid loss characteristics showed that lignin might be utilised as a thinning agent for drilling operations at temperatures as high as 90°C.

Keywords: lignin, lignosulfonic acid sodium salt, thinning agent, formic acid, organosolv process

Abstrak

Penggerudian dalam formasi geologi pada suhu dan tekanan tinggi semasa penerokaan minyak dan gas luar pesisir sering menjadi punca yang merosakkan cecair penggerudi berasaskan air. Dalam kajian ini, lignin daripada sabut kelapa, gentian kelapa sawit, dan habuk papan diekstrak melalui proses organosolv. Lignin ini digunakan sebagai agen penipisan dalam rumusan cecair penggerudian berasaskan air. Lignin dikenalpasti menggunakan spektroskopi inframerah transformasi Fourier (FTIR). Spektrum IR kedua-dua sampel lignin dan asid lignosulfonat menunjukkan jalur pada 3695.52 cm^–1 dan 2972.38 cm^–1, menunjukkan kumpulan hidroksil dalam struktur fenolik dan alifatik, regangan ikatan C-H dalam kumpulan metoksil aromatik dan kumpulan metil dan metilena rantai sampingan, masing-masing. Apabila menganalisis sifat cecair penggerudi, sifat reologi lignin dan sifat kehilangan bendalir dibandingkan dengan asid lignosulfonat, yang merupakan agen penipisan komersial. Ujian penentuan dos menunjukkan bahawa 0.6% adalah pilihan optimum garam natrium lignin dan asid lignosulfonat. Selepas penuaan terma, sifat reologi dan ciri kehilangan bendalir menunjukkan bahawa lignin mungkin digunakan sebagai agen penipisan untuk operasi penggerudian pada suhu setinggi 90°C.

Kata kunci: lignin, asid lignosulfonat, agen penipisan, asid formic, proses organosolv

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