A method of removing metals and amines from crude oil comprising adding an effective metal removing amount of one or more hydroxycarboxylic acids selected from lactic acid and malic acid and salts thereof to said crude oil; adding wash water to said crude oil; mixing said crude oil, acid and wash water to form an emulsion; and resolving said emulsion into an aqueous phase and crude oil having a reduced metals content.

A method of removing metals and amines from crude oil comprising adding an effective metal removing amount of one or more hydroxycarboxylic acids selected from lactic acid and malic acid and salts thereof to said crude oil; adding wash water to said crude oil; mixing said crude oil, acid and wash water to form an emulsion; and resolving said emulsion into an aqueous phase and crude oil having a reduced metals content.

A method of treating a contaminated oil comprising preparing a brine solution, adding ozone to the brine solution to produce ozonated brine solution, adding a volume of ozonated brine solution to a volume of the contaminated oil, mixing the volumes of contaminated oil and ozonated brine solution with coagulant and surfactant at a shear rate sufficiently high so as to cause formation of an emulsion of the contaminated oil and the brine solution, stopping the mixing, thereby causing the emulsion to separate into an aqueous brine liquid phase and an oil liquid phase, separating the brine liquid phase from the oil liquid phase, and separating at least one contaminant from the oil liquid phase to produce a volume of purified oil.

A method of treating a contaminated oil comprising preparing a brine solution, adding ozone to the brine solution to produce ozonated brine solution, adding a volume of ozonated brine solution to a volume of the contaminated oil, mixing the volumes of contaminated oil and ozonated brine solution with coagulant and surfactant at a shear rate sufficiently high so as to cause formation of an emulsion of the contaminated oil and the brine solution, stopping the mixing, thereby causing the emulsion to separate into an aqueous brine liquid phase and an oil liquid phase, separating the brine liquid phase from the oil liquid phase, and separating at least one contaminant from the oil liquid phase to produce a volume of purified oil.

This invention provides a composition comprising I. at least one reaction product between a nitrogen-free monohydric alcohol and an aldehyde or ketone, and II. at least one reaction product between a nitrogen-free sugar alcohol and an aldehyde or ketone, and optionally III. at least one reaction product from III.a) formaldehyde, and III.b) an amine, selected from the group consisting of primary alkyl amines having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and primary hydroxy alkyl amines having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and optionally IV. at least one solid suppression agent selected from the group consisting of IV(a). alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxides IV(b). mono-, di- or tri-hydroxy alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl amines, IV(c). mono-, di- or tri-alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl primary, secondary and tertiary amines or IV(d). multifunctional amines and IV(e). mixtures of compounds of groups IV(a) to IV(c). wherein alkyl is C.sub.1 to C.sub.15, aryl is C.sub.6 to C.sub.15 and alkylaryl is C.sub.7 to C.sub.15.

This invention provides a composition comprising I. at least one reaction product between a nitrogen-free monohydric alcohol and an aldehyde or ketone, and II. at least one reaction product between a nitrogen-free sugar alcohol and an aldehyde or ketone, and optionally III. at least one reaction product from III.a) formaldehyde, and III.b) an amine, selected from the group consisting of primary alkyl amines having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and primary hydroxy alkyl amines having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, and optionally IV. at least one solid suppression agent selected from the group consisting of IV(a). alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxides IV(b). mono-, di- or tri-hydroxy alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl amines, IV(c). mono-, di- or tri-alkyl, aryl or alkylaryl primary, secondary and tertiary amines or IV(d). multifunctional amines and IV(e). mixtures of compounds of groups IV(a) to IV(c). wherein alkyl is C.sub.1 to C.sub.15, aryl is C.sub.6 to C.sub.15 and alkylaryl is C.sub.7 to C.sub.15.

The subject invention provides microbe-based products, as well as their use to improve oil production and refining efficiency by, for example, remediating the disposable layers in oil tanks and other oil storage units. In preferred embodiments, the microbe-based products comprise biochemical-producing yeast and growth by-products thereof, such as, e.g., biosurfactants. The subject invention can be used to remediate rag layer and/or other dissolved solid layers that form in water-oil emulsions. Furthermore, the subject invention can be used for remediating solid impurities, such as sand, scale, rust and clay, in produced water, flow-back, brine, and/or fracking fluids.

The subject invention provides microbe-based products, as well as their use to improve oil production and refining efficiency by, for example, remediating the disposable layers in oil tanks and other oil storage units. In preferred embodiments, the microbe-based products comprise biochemical-producing yeast and growth by-products thereof, such as, e.g., biosurfactants. The subject invention can be used to remediate rag layer and/or other dissolved solid layers that form in water-oil emulsions. Furthermore, the subject invention can be used for remediating solid impurities, such as sand, scale, rust and clay, in produced water, flow-back, brine, and/or fracking fluids.

The present invention is related to the use of ethylene alkanoate-alkyl acrylate bipolymers with a high randomness monomers distribution, which are synthesized by semicontinuous emulsion polymerization process, characterized because it is carried out using slow addition rate of the pre-emulsion feeding ({dot over (q)}≤0.009 kg.Math.L.sup.−1.Math.min.sup.−1), stabilized this last one by alkyl glycol ether type surfactants, at temperatures higher than 75° C. and with solids contents above 25 wt %, which avoids the formation of large sequences (blocks) of a same monomer. This structural characteristic gives the ethylene alkanoate-alkyl acrylate bipolymers a high efficiency as chemical agents for removal of complex water/crude oil emulsions of crude oil blends.

The present invention is related to the use of ethylene alkanoate-alkyl acrylate bipolymers with a high randomness monomers distribution, which are synthesized by semicontinuous emulsion polymerization process, characterized because it is carried out using slow addition rate of the pre-emulsion feeding ({dot over (q)}≤0.009 kg.Math.L.sup.−1.Math.min.sup.−1), stabilized this last one by alkyl glycol ether type surfactants, at temperatures higher than 75° C. and with solids contents above 25 wt %, which avoids the formation of large sequences (blocks) of a same monomer. This structural characteristic gives the ethylene alkanoate-alkyl acrylate bipolymers a high efficiency as chemical agents for removal of complex water/crude oil emulsions of crude oil blends.