Recovering hydrocarbons with surfactants from lignin

摘要

A method of producing surfactants from lignin is disclosed by reducing lignin in the presence of a carbon monoxide or hydrogen reducing agent at high temperature and pressure to produce low molecular weight lignin phenols and subjecting the lignin phenols to one or a combination of several reactions such as alkoxylation, alkylation, sulfonation, sulfation, alkoxysulfation, and sulfomethylation. The lignin surfactants so produced can be employed in a surfactant system to recover oil from underground formations.