DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/jcerp.20840

Development of Natural Plant-Based Additive for Wax Deposition Inhibition and Rheological Properties

Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Lebuhraya Persiaran Tun Khalil Yaakob 26300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia, Gambang, Pahang, Malaysia

Received: 6 Sep 2026; Revised: 17 Sep 2026; Accepted: 19 Sep 2026; Available online: 2 Oct 2026; Published: 30 Jun 2027.
Editor(s): Istadi Istadi
Open Access Copyright (c) 2027 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Abstract

Wax deposition is a major flow-assurance challenge in oil and gas pipelines, particularly under low-temperature conditions that promote wax crystallization and accumulation. This study developed and evaluated a plant-based cellulose-acetate additive as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional synthetic wax inhibitors. Cellulose acetate was extracted, formulated, and characterized using FTIR, GC-MS, and GC-FID, while wax-inhibition performance was assessed using a cold-finger wax deposition test and rheological analysis with a rheometer. FTIR confirmed the presence of characteristic functional groups, while Sample A produced at 200 rpm exhibited the most favourable characteristics, with GC-MS abundance profiles and GC-FID retention times closely comparable to those of a commercial inhibitor. The optimum wax-deposition conditions were 100 rpm, 13 °C, and 4 h using 20 mL of 8000 ppm inhibitor, resulting in a minimum wax deposit of 0.16 g. Rheological analysis identified 8000 ppm as the optimum concentration, producing the lowest viscosity of 4.0104 cP at 25 °C. Although this concentration showed a slightly higher interfacial tension (IFT), the increase had minimal influence on inhibition performance. Rice-husk-derived cellulose acetate demonstrated promising potential for reducing wax deposition while maintaining favourable crude-oil flow properties. The study contributes to green chemistry and agricultural-waste valorisation, while further investigation of long-term stability and field-scale performance is recommended. Copyright © 2027 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Keywords: Wax Inhibitor; Cellulose Acetate; Wax deposition; Extraction
Funding: Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia; Universiti Malaysia Pahang; RDU1901060

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Section: Original Research Articles
Language : EN
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