Abstract
Vacuum distillates of an Egyptian crude oil were subjected to solvent extraction process applying N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and furfural as dearomatization solvents. The study shows that the extraction solvent together with the temperature and solvent-to-oil ratio have a significant effect on the yield and quality of produced lubricating oils. The optimum temperature for extracting light waxy distillates with NMP is 55°C at the solvent-to-feed ratio 2:1. These conditions are appropriate to remove the major portion of aromatics from the raffinate. The apparent activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (ΔH*), entropy (ΔS*), and free energy of activation (ΔG*) were calculated for the solvent dearomatization process.