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(from left) Nur Sabrina, Anis Sofea, Eunika Lominus, Noor Fatehah Sofea, Nur Syazwani, Nur Izzati Kamarudin

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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Organic chemistry contributes to the production of fuel for vehicles and other machinery through the cracking of petroleum. One example includes the process called pyrolysis, which involves a chemical reaction with organic materials that creates a more usable form of energy.

Petroleum refineries are large-scale industrial complexes that produce saleable petroleum products from crude oil (and sometimes other feedstocks like biomass). Refining can be broken down into three chemical processes. Distillation involves the separation of materials based on differences in their volatility. This is the first and most basic step in the refining process and is the precursor to cracking and reforming. Cracking involves breaking up heavy molecules into lighter (and more valuable) hydrocarbons. Reforming involves changing the chemical nature of hydrocarbons to achieve desired physical properties (and also to increase the market value of those chemicals).

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(From the left) Lee Xuan Yin, Shamalah A/P Arumugam, Sandra Ooi Yung Shin, Cha Wai San, Yap Zhi Shing

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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There were many oil and gas participating companies setting up booth at DSI during the 3-days Oil & Gas Festival 2023, to name a few, Petronas, SLB and Mise Energy are among the companies. In the process of enquiring about the career prospects and job opportunities for the chemistry-background graduates in the field of O&G, we manage to get an insight from the industry aspect on how us, as chemistry-graduates, can apply our academic knowledge particularly organic chemistry in the development of oil and gas industry.

We had concluded on 3 key points regarding this question after listening to the description from the staff at the SLB’s booth, which were “upstream”, “formulation”, and “processing”.

1.       Upstream:

The upstream segment of O&G industry includes exploration and production of oil and natural gas. Exploration indicates the search for potential sites to exploit oil and natural gas while production of oil and gas can be further divided into onshore or offshore drilling. Another professional term introduced to us that are deemed to be the new technology in oil and gas industry is “hydraulic fracturing” or “fracking”. It is an oil or natural gas extracting technique from the wells. This technology has successfully increase the recovery rate of oil and gas through the ability of harvesting from the previously inaccessible section in the wells. But how actually does organic chemistry matters in all these upstream processes mentioned herein?  Based on our understanding, the oil or natural gas drilling technologies or facilities such as rig from the located wells by different company might share some common properties but are still distinguished from one another depending on the types of oil or gas pumped. And since oil and gas or petroleum as a whole are basically constituted of hydrocarbons, the analysis, identification and classification of these fossil fuels often requires the knowledge of organic chemistry. For example, the “sweet” crude oil are those will lesser sulfur content while “sour” crude oil has comparably higher sulfur content.

2.       Formulation:

Formulation on the other hand might be related to the research and development of the best formula for producing high quality fuels (liquified petroleum gas, petrol, diesel, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel) or materials/ingredients for the manufacturing other downstream petrochemical products (plastics, fertilizers, bitumen, paints and flooring and insulating materials). For example, the quality of a fuel is define by its octane rating which gauges the ability of combustion of the fuel in the vehicle engine without knocking or pinging that might damage the car parts in long term. Thus, the researchers in the field of organic chemistry are required to create varying gasoline formulations that suit different model of vehicles and provide distinct performance desired.

3.       Processing

When it comes to the industrial processing of the oil and gas harvested, organic chemistry lays the fundamental knowledge on how to properly treat the crude oil to produce high-value fuels and petrochemicals products as well as the precise and clean separation of the crude oil. There are 3 key phases involved: fractional distillation, cracking and reforming.

a)       Fractional distillation: Segregates the mixture of hydrocarbon compounds in the crude oil into different fractions based on their corresponding relative volatility in the distillation tower.

b)      Cracking: The process of converting the high-molecular weight hydrocarbon molecules to low-molecular weight hydrocarbon molecules under very high temperature (around 900 degree celsius) to increase the yield of the profitable petrochemical products.

c)       Reforming: The process of converting the straight chain alkane compounds to mixtures of aromatic hydrocarbons or branched-chain alkanes in order to obtain desired products. The addition of metal catalysts such as platinum is necessary in this step.

In a nutshell, it is all about the chemical reactions, its mechanism, identifying the physical and chemical properties of the hydrocarbon components of each of the fractions from crude oil, as well as figuring out the best solution to harvest and subsequently converting them into profitable products through a highly-efficient, economic and environmental-friendly manner that the industry is interested in. Thus, this concludes how organic chemistry contribute to the development of the oil and gas industry.

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Goh Jia Chun, Roy Quah Zhi Ming, Yeoh Jun Yu and Pang Song En (from left to right)

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The growth of the oil and gas (O&G) industry depends heavily on organic chemistry, particularly in the refinement and processing of crude oil to create a variety of products, the production of petrochemicals, the production of natural gas, and the production of renewable energy sources like biofuel and hydrogen.

Refining and processing of crude oil: Organic chemistry is essential in the refining and processing of crude oil to produce various products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, lubricants, and many others. The process involves the separation of crude oil into different components based on their boiling points and molecular weights, which is accomplished through distillation and other separation techniques.

Petrochemical production: Organic chemistry is also important in the production of petrochemicals, which are chemicals derived from petroleum and natural gas. These include materials such as plastics, synthetic fibers, and rubber, which are used in various industries.

Natural gas production: Organic chemistry is also important in the production of natural gas, which is a key component of the O&G industry. It is used as a fuel for power generation, heating, and transportation. Organic chemistry plays a vital role in the development of new techniques for the extraction and processing of natural gas.

Renewable energy: Organic chemistry also plays a critical role in the development of renewable energy sources such as biofuels and hydrogen. Biofuels are derived from renewable organic sources such as agricultural crops and waste products, and organic chemistry is used to develop new and more efficient processes for their production. Similarly, hydrogen is a promising renewable energy source that can be produced from organic materials such as biomass,

Besides that, organic chemistry plays a crucial role in the design and development of new and more efficient separation techniques and catalysts that can help to improve the yield and quality of all the mentioned products.

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Yasmin Zulaikha, Imran Hakim, Hafiz Nor Sham, Maryam Al-Mukarramah, Nur Fatieha

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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Industrial Organic Chemistry- Oil & Gas Festival 2023

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By its contributions to the refining and processing of crude oil into lucrative products like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, organic chemistry plays a critical role in the development of the oil and gas sector. Petrochemicals, which are crucial raw ingredients for the creation of plastics, fertilisers, detergents, and other goods, are produced in large part thanks to organic chemistry.

The many hydrocarbons included in crude oil, which differ in molecular weight and content, are identified and separated during the refining and processing of crude oil using organic chemistry. These hydrocarbons are converted via organic chemistry processes including fractional distillation, fractional distillation, and cracking into smaller, more valuable molecules that can be utilised as fuels or as feedstocks for the manufacture of petrochemicals. In order to maximise productivity and provide high-quality goods, organic chemistry also aids in the design and improvement of the processes used in refining, such as catalytic cracking, alkylation, and isomerization.

In order to create a variety of compounds, the manufacture of petrochemicals also uses a wide range of organic chemistry processes, including esterification, oxidation, reduction, and polymerization. These substances are utilised to create a wide variety of commodities, from common consumer goods to cutting-edge materials for the aerospace and automotive industries.

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Tai Xin Hong, Chong Siew Yin, Ng Woon Shin, Lim Yi Xin, Ku Jia Sin, Esther Sia Xi Yue, Chee Hui Wen, Eng Jia Jia, Loo Chai Wei

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Organic chemistry can be linked with gasoline and diesel fuel during the refining and processing crude oil. The process involves separation of crude oil into various components through distillation, cracking, and other methods which always seek for optimization and efficient process to reduce environmental impact.

Organic chemistry also plays vital role in the production of natural gas by optimizing various processes used in the extraction, processing, and transportation of natural gas. One of the common methods is fracking, where organic chemistry can be applied in the selection of chemicals to ensure safety, effectiveness and also minimize any potential environmental impact.

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(from left) Lee Ching Shien, Loh Yian Zhi and Lim Wei Wen

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How Organic Chemistry Contribute to Development of O&G Industry.

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How Organic Chemistry Contribute to Development of O&G Industry.

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Application of industrial organic chemistry able to contribute significantly to the development of the oil and gas industry in several ways. One of the method is enhancing the refining process. The development of heterogeneous organic catalyst would be much more economical since it can be reuse.

Organic chemistry is also used in the cracking of petroleum to produce fuel for vehicles and other machinery, where one of the  examples is pyrolysis, which is a chemical reaction with organic materials that produces a more usable form of energy. Also, the oxidation of carbon in an organic molecule occurs during combustion and the fossil fuels are burned on a large scale to provide energy for heat or electricity, include natural gas, petroleum products, and coal.

Secondly, organic chemistry could also reduce the environmental impacts. In petroleum refining, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are the main source of air pollution and the emission need to be controlled according to Environment Quality Act 1974, Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulation 2014. In industry, amine act as scrubbing liquid is packed in scrubber to remove carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.