Journal : Application of GA in Optimization of Modified

Benzene Alkylation Process

GA or genetic algorithm is used to optimize the modified benzene alkylation

process. The modified process increases ethylbenzene selectivity and
decreases energy consumption at the same time. The alkylation of aromatic
hydrocarbons with olefins is applied on a large scale in the chemical industry.
Benzene alkylation is one of the most important processes for ethylbenzene
(EB) production. Ethylbenzene is an important raw material in the
petrochemical industry for the manufacture of styrene. Styrene monomer is
used in the production of synthetic rubber, synthetic plastics and resins. EB
also has a limited use as a solvent in the production of dyes. Several alkylation
processes have been proposed to increase the benzene alkylation processes.
Craciun et al. proposed a liquid phase alkylation of benzene over three USY
zeolites. They showed that the alkylation rate will increase when the average
acid strength is higher. While Al-Kinany et al. have shown that
triuoromethanesulfonic acid could be used for the transalkylation of
o-diethylbenzene with benzene to EB at low temperatures and atmospheric
pressure. Many other attempts have been made to study the effects of
operational parameters on alkylation process.

A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the inlet ethylene ow rate in a modied

EB production process. The concentration of the produced trans-ethylbenzene
is considered as the objective variable to regulate the ow rate and conne
the undesired reactions. The temperature and concentration proles through
the towers of the fraction unit are presented. Ethylene selectivity also
increased when the rst three alkylation reactor where kept at their maximum
allowable temperature.

The simulated EB production unit is an industrial working unit. The unit

provides the needed EB for the juxtaposed styrene monomer unit. In this
commercial process, the alkylation reactors are designed for the 100%
conversion of ethylene.
Journal : Application of Biosurfactants in the Petroleum
Industry and the Remediation of Oil Spills

Petroleum hydrocarbons are important energy resources but it is also a major

pollutant of the environment through its contamination by oil and oil products.
The contamination sources are various including accidents during fuel
transportation by ships and trucks, leakage from underground storage tanks
that are subject to corrosion and inadequate release of waste generated by
industries that use oil byproducts in the production of plastics, solvents,
pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Because of this, attention has been paid to
the development and implementation of innovative technologies for the
removal of these contaminants. Biosurfactants have been used in the
remediation of water and soil, as well as in the main stages of the oil
production chain, such as extraction, transportation, and storage.
Biosurfactants can be obtained with the use of agro-industrial waste as
substrate, which helps reduce overall production costs.

Biosurfactants play an important role in remediation processes due to their

efficacy as dispersion and remediation agents as well as their environmentally
friendly characteristics, such as low toxicity and high biodegradability.
Currently, the major market for biosurfactants is the petroleum industry, in
which these compounds can be used in the cleanup of oils spills, the removal
of oil residue from storage tanks, microbial-enhanced oil recovery, and the
bioremediation of soil and water. Most of these surfactants are synthesized by
living organisms, such as, saponins produced by plants, glycolipids produced
by microorganisms, and bile salts produced by animals. Compounds with
surfactant properties produced by microorganisms are denominated
biosurfactants.

Biosurfactants are mainly produced by aerobic microorganisms in aqueous

media with a carbon source feedstock, such as carbohydrates, hydrocarbons,
fats, and oils. These compounds have amphipathic molecules with
hydrophobic and hydrophilic portions that act between fluids of different
polarities such as between oil and water or water and oil which allows access
to hydrophobic substrates and cause a reduction in surface tension, an
increase in the area of contact of insoluble compounds (such as hydrocarbons)
and the enhancement of the mobility, bioavailability, and biodegradation of
such compounds.

Biosurfactants provide numerous advantages over chemical surfactants, such

as biodegradability due to their simple chemical structure, environmental
compatibility, low toxicity, which allows use in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical
and food industry, high selectivity due to presence of specific functional groups,
allowing specificity in the detoxification of specific pollutants, and activity under
conditions of extreme temperatures, pH and salinity.

In the petroleum industry, biosurfactants have been applied effectively for the
exploration of heavy oil, offering advantages over their synthetic counterparts
throughout the entire petroleum processing chain such as extraction,
transportation and storage. Biosurfactants are used in microbial-enhanced oil
recovery, the cleaning of contaminated vessels and to facilitate the
transportation of heavy crude oil by pipeline.