Synthesis and physiochemical performance evaluation of novel sulphobetaine zwitterionic surfactants from lignin for enhanced oil recovery

Lignin sulphobetaine zwitterionic surfactants (LSBA) were successfully synthesized by a cost-effective three-step route containing sulfonation, quaternization and alkylation reaction from renewable alkali lignin. The synthesized surfactants were characterized by FT-IR, UV and 1H NMR analysis. The physicochemical properties of synthesized surfactants had been tested to investigate the effectiveness of LSBA surfactants for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The hydrophile lipophile balance (HLB) values of LSBA-1, LSBA-2 and LSBA-3 were 14, 11 and 10, respectively. LSBA surfactants exhibited high surface activity with low surface tension and the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of LSBA-1, LSBA-2 and LSBA-3 were 4.36 × 10− 4 mg/L, 4.45 × 10− 4 mg/L and 1.04 × 10− 3 mg/L, respectively. The dynamic interfacial tension (IFT) between the crude oil from Huabei and Xinjiang oilfields (China) and the LSBA solution was measured. Compared with Huabei crude oil, LSBA surfactants showed better interfacial activity on Xinjiang crude oil. LSBA surfactants reduced the IFT between Xinjiang crude oil and brine down to ultra-low (< 10− 3 mN/m) under weak alkaline conditions.