Development of a Novel Terpolymer as a Green and Efficient Decalcifying Agent for Crude Petroleum

[Image: see text] A novel environmental decalcifying agent was prepared with allylpolyethoxy amino carboxylate (APEAA), hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA), and maleic anhydride (MA) by means of free-radical polymerization in an aqueous solution. The morphology and structure of the samples were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectra. The molecular-weight distribution of APEAA–HEA–MA was determined by the gel permeation chromatography method. APEAA–HEA–MA was used as a green decalcifying agent to remove calcium from crude petroleum, and the impact of factors such as monomer ratio, copolymerization time, dosages, and desalination temperature was analyzed. It is found that the decalcification rate of APEAA–HEA–MA could reach to its maximum, and the calcium removal efficiency was approximately 97.88% when the monomer molar ratio of APEAA–HEA–MA was 1:2:5, the reaction time of copolymerization was 2 h, the dosage was 100 ppm, and the desalination temperature was 100 °C. This research work can promote the exploration on facile synthesis of a novel terpolymer and its potential application in refinery desalting processes.