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Residual asphalts obtained from 25 samples of Nigerian light, medium, and heavy crude oils were chemically treated by air-oxidation and sulfurization to improve their characteristic properties. The asphalt yield for light crudes varied from 27.7–33.7 wt% and 33.4–67.5 wt% for medium crudes. The chemical treatment brought about changes in chemical composition, increase in molecular mass and modification of consistency resulting in highly improved asphaltic properties. There were manifold increases in viscosity and softening points, which came as a result of the higher asphaltene content of the treated materials. The asphalts obtained meet quality specifications for typical commercial grade products thus confirming the suitability of Nigerian crude oils for the production of residual asphalts.
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Oyekunle et al. (2004) studied this question.
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