Scientists from Kazan University (Russia), Russian Oil and Gas University, Shahid Beheshti University (Iran) and University of Isfahan (Iran) have demonstrated that sunflower oil-based inhibitors could potentially prohibit complications arising from oil and gas production.

Complications arising from oil and gas production — namely gas hydrate plugs, which are the formation of ice-like solids that take shape following the mixing of water and natural gas at high pressures and low temperatures — is typically treated through the use of inhibitors that tend to be either unsafe for the environment, toxic or expensive. As such, the joint research teams determined that inhibitors derived from sunflower encouraged hydrate inhibition when tested on wells in the Arctic.

Synthesis of epoxidized sunflower oil (ESFO) and phosphorylated polyol (Phospol). Source: Kazan University

"We found that sunflower oil can be modified in several ways, and many molecules can be synthesized from it. The presence of alkyl chains in its structure can improve hydrate inhibition. Sunflower oil-based molecules can easily degrade due to the presence of ester groups in their structure," explained research associate Abdolreza Farhadian.

Researchers also reported that the sunflower oil was ideal as an inhibitor due to its non-toxic and biodegradable properties. Likewise, the team found that the sunflower oil-based inhibitor also prevented pipeline corrosion.

The research appears in the journal Energy.