DOI: https://doi.org/10.55373/mjchem.v28i4.204

Keywords: Calcium carbonate scale, green inhibitor, barley, polyaspartic acid, scale inhibition efficiency

Abstract

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) scale deposition remains one of the major flow assurance challenges in oil and gas production systems, leading to reduced productivity, equipment damage, and increased operational costs. Conventional scale inhibitors are generally effective; however, concerns regarding environmental toxicity have motivated the search for sustainable alternatives. In this study, a green scale inhibitor formulation comprising barley powder and polyaspartic acid (PASP) was developed and evaluated for its potential to mitigate CaCO₃ scale deposition. Barley powder was prepared through drying, milling, and particle-size classification, followed by formulation with PASP at different concentrations. The scale inhibition performance of the formulations was assessed using a static jar test, and the remaining CaCO₃ was quantified gravimetrically. Among the tested formulations, the combination of 7 wt.% barley and 1 wt.% PASP exhibited the highest scale inhibition efficiency (42.6%), suggesting the presence of an optimum formulation composition. Chemical characterization of barley using Triple Quadrupole Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (TQ GC–MS) identified several organic compounds, including 9-octadecanamide, octadecanamide, 5-nonylamine, and fatty acid derivatives, which may contribute to scale inhibition through calcium-ion complexation and crystal growth modification. These findings highlight the potential of barley–PASP formulations as environmentally friendly alternatives for calcium carbonate scale control and provide a foundation for future optimization and mechanistic studies.