On the role of disjoining pressure in nanofluid-assisted enhanced oil recovery: a mini-review

Nanofluid application in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) recently emerged and garnered significant attention within the field. Nanofluids possess unique properties of reducing oil-water interfacial tension, stabilizing emulsions, altering rock surface wettability, and enhancing disjoining pressure between crude oil and rock surfaces, therefore have potential for the oil recovery process. This review provides an in-depth exploration of various aspects related to nanofluids in EOR. Different types of nanofluids are presented with their preparation methods and representative properties. More importantly, the disjoining pressure, a key physical concept in nanofluid-assisted EOR, is introduced and discussed in terms of the mechanism of oil displacement and measurement methods. Further understanding the role of disjoining pressure in nanofluid-assisted oil displacement is necessary for the development and application of effective nanofluids for EOR.

The influence of nano filter elements on pressure drop and pollutant elimination efficiency in town border stations

Natural gas stands as the most ecologically sustainable fossil fuel, constituting nearly 25% of worldwide primary energy utilization and experiencing rapid expansion. This article offers an extensive comparative analysis of nano filter elements, focusing on pressure drop and pollutant removal efficiency. The primary goal was to assess the superior performance of nano filter elements and their suitability as an alternative for Town Border Station (TBS). The research encompassed a six-month examination period, involving routine pressure assessments, structural examinations, and particle characterization of the filter elements. The results revealed that nano filters showed better performance in adsorbing aluminum than conventional filters, possibly due to their cartridge composition. Nano filters contained phosphorus, sulfur, and copper, while conventional filters lacked these elements. The disparity can be attributed to the finer mesh of the nano filter, capturing smaller pollutants. Although the nano filter had minimal silicon, the conventional filter showed some, posing concerns. Despite having 19 extra pleats, the nano filter maintained gas flow pressure while capturing more particles than the conventional filter.

Sonoactivated Nanomaterials: A potent armament for wastewater treatment

The world is currently facing a critical issue of water pollution, with wastewater being a major contributor. It comes from different types of pollutants, including industrial, medical, agricultural, and domestic. Effective treatment of wastewater requires efficient degradation of pollutants and carcinogens prior to discharge. Commonly used methods for wastewater treatment include filtration, adsorption, biodegradation, advanced oxidation processes, and Fenton oxidation, among others.The sonochemical effect refers to the decomposition, oxidation, reduction, and other reactions of pollutant molecules in wastewater upon ultrasound activation, achieving pollutants removal. Furthermore, the micro-flow effect generated by ultrasonic waves creates tiny bubbles and eddies. This significantly increases the contact area and exchange speed of pollutants and dissolved oxygen, thereby accelerating pollutant degradation. Currently, ultrasonic-assisted technology has emerged as a promising approach due to its strong oxidation ability, simple and cheap equipments, and minimal secondary pollution. However, the use of ultrasound in wastewater treatment has some limitations, such as high energy consumption, lengthy treatment time, limited water treatment capacity, stringent water quality requirements, and unstable treatment effects. To address these issues, the combination of enhanced ultrasound with nanotechnology is proposed and has shown great potential in wastewater treatment. Such a combination can greatly improve the efficiency of ultrasonic oxidation, resulting in an improved performance of wastewater purification. This article presents recent progress in the development of sonoactivated nanomaterials for enhanced wastewater disposal. Such nanomaterials are systematically classified and discussed. Potential challenges and future prospects of this emerging technology are also highlighted.

Nanomembranes-Affiliated Water Remediation: Chronology, Properties, Classification, Challenges and Future Prospects

Water contamination has become a global crisis, affecting millions of people worldwide and causing diseases and illnesses, including cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis A. Conventional water remediation methods have several challenges, including their inability to remove emerging contaminants and their high cost and environmental impact. Nanomembranes offer a promising solution to these challenges. Nanomembranes are thin, selectively permeable membranes that can remove contaminants from water based on size, charge, and other properties. They offer several advantages over conventional methods, including their ability to remove evolving pollutants, low functioning price, and reduced ecological influence. However, there are numerous limitations linked with the applications of nanomembranes in water remediation, including fouling and scaling, cost-effectiveness, and potential environmental impact. Researchers are working to reduce the cost of nanomembranes through the development of more cost-effective manufacturing methods and the use of alternative materials such as graphene. Additionally, there are concerns about the release of nanomaterials into the environment during the manufacturing and disposal of the membranes, and further research is needed to understand their potential impact. Despite these challenges, nanomembranes offer a promising solution for the global water crisis and could have a significant impact on public health and the environment. The current article delivers an overview on the exploitation of various engineered nanoscale substances, encompassing the carbonaceous nanomaterials, metallic, metal oxide and metal-organic frameworks, polymeric nano-adsorbents and nanomembranes, for water remediation. The article emphasizes the mechanisms involved in adsorption and nanomembrane filtration. Additionally, the authors aim to deliver an all-inclusive review on the chronology, technical execution, challenges, restrictions, reusability, and future prospects of these nanomaterials.

Nanotechnology: A Revolution in Modern Industry

Nanotechnology, contrary to its name, has massively revolutionized industries around the world. This paper predominantly deals with data regarding the applications of nanotechnology in the modernization of several industries. A comprehensive research strategy is adopted to incorporate the latest data driven from major science platforms. Resultantly, a broad-spectrum overview is presented which comprises the diverse applications of nanotechnology in modern industries. This study reveals that nanotechnology is not limited to research labs or small-scale manufacturing units of nanomedicine, but instead has taken a major share in different industries. Companies around the world are now trying to make their innovations more efficient in terms of structuring, working, and designing outlook and productivity by taking advantage of nanotechnology. From small-scale manufacturing and processing units such as those in agriculture, food, and medicine industries to larger-scale production units such as those operating in industries of automobiles, civil engineering, and environmental management, nanotechnology has manifested the modernization of almost every industrial domain on a global scale. With pronounced cooperation among researchers, industrialists, scientists, technologists, environmentalists, and educationists, the more sustainable development of nano-based industries can be predicted in the future.

Nanomaterials and Technology Applications for Hydraulic Fracturing of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs: A State-of-the-Art Review of Recent Advances and Perspectives

The application of hydraulic fracturing stimulation technology to improve the productivity of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs is a well-established practice. With the increasing exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas resources, the associated geological conditions and physical properties are gradually becoming more and more complex. Therefore, it is necessary to develop technologies that can improve the development benefits to meet these challenges. In recent years, improving the effect of hydraulic fracturing stimulation in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs through the use of nanomaterials and technologies has attracted increasing attention. In this paper, we review the current status and research progress of the application of nanomaterials and technologies in various aspects of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, expound the mechanism and advantages of these nanomaterials and technologies in detail, and provide future research directions. The reviewed literature indicates that nanomaterials and technologies show exciting potential applications in the hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoirs; for example, the sand-carrying and rheological properties of fracturing fluids can be significantly enhanced through the addition of nanomaterials. The use of nanomaterials to modify proppants can improve their compressive strength, thus meeting the needs of different reservoir conditions. The fracturing flowback fluid treatment efficiency and purification effect can be improved through the use of nanophotocatalysis and nanomembrane technologies, while degradable fracturing completion tools developed based on nanomaterials can effectively improve the efficiency of fracturing operations. Nanorobots and magnetic nanoparticles can be used to more efficiently monitor hydraulic fracturing and to accurately map the hydraulic fracture morphology. However, due to the complex preparation process and high cost of nanomaterials, more work is needed to fully investigate the application mechanisms of nanomaterials and technologies, as well as to evaluate the economic feasibility of these exciting technologies. The main research objective of this review is to comprehensively summarize the application and research progress of nanomaterials and technologies in various aspects of hydraulic fracturing in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs, analyze the existing problems and challenges, and propose some targeted forward-looking recommendations, which may be helpful for future research and applications.

Mathematical Modeling and Pilot Test Validation of Nanoparticles Injection in Heavy Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

Heavy-oil mobility in reservoir rocks can be improved, using nanotechnology, by reducing the viscosity of the oil and improving the rock wettability to a water-wet condition. Previous pilot studies in Colombian heavy oil fields reported that nanoparticles dispersed in an oleic carrier fluid (diesel) increased oil production rates between 120–150% higher than before the interventions. However, to optimally deploy a massive nanofluid intervention campaign in heavy oil fields, it is valuable to implement simulation tools that can help to understand the role of operational parameters, to design the operations and to monitor the performance. The simulator must account for nanoparticle transport, transfer, and retention dynamics, as well as their impact on viscosity reduction and wettability restoration. In this paper, we developed and solved, numerically, a 3D mathematical model describing the multiphase flow and interaction of the nanoparticles with oil, brine, and rock surface, leading to viscosity reduction and wettability restoration. The model is based on a multiphase pseudo-compositional formulation, coupled with mass balance equations, of nanoparticles dispersed in water, nanoparticles dispersed in oil, and nanoparticles retained on the rock surface. We simulated a pilot test study of a nanofluid stimulation done in a Colombian heavy oil field. The injection, soaking, and production stages were simulated using a 3D single-well formulation of the mathematical model. The comparison of simulation results with the pilot test results shows that the model reproduced the field observations before and after the stimulation. Simulations showed that viscosity reduction during the post-stimulation period is strongly related to the detachment rate of nanoparticles. Simulation indicates that the recovery mechanism of the nanofluid stimulation is initially governed by viscosity reduction and wettability alteration. At latter times, wettability alteration is the main recovery mechanism. The nanoparticles transferred to the residual water promote the wettability alteration to a water wet condition. The model can be used to design field deployments of nanofluid interventions in heavy oil reservoirs.

Synthesis, Characterization and Filtration Properties of Ecofriendly Fe3O4 Nanoparticles Derived from Olive Leaves Extract

Recently, value-added nanomaterials including nanoparticles or nanofluids have been significantly used in designing drilling fluids with tunable rheological properties to meet specific downhole and environmental requirements. In this work, we report novel water-based drilling fluids (WBDF) containing eco-friendly Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄-NPs) prepared by using olive leaves extract (OLE) as a reducing and capping agent. A series of economical and excellent performance of WBDF was obtained by introducing low, medium, and high concentrations of Fe₃O₄-NPs into the conventional WBDF. The synthesis of Fe₃O₄-NPs was accomplished through the thermal decomposition of iron precursors in an organic medium. NPs were added to the based fluid at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 0.5 wt%. Emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), field- and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used for Fe₃O₄-NPs analysis. Compared to the conventional WBDF, the addition of Fe₃O₄-NPs as an additive in the based fluids has been investigated to help increasing viscosity and yield point, which is advantageous for hole cleaning, as well as decreasing fluid loss and mud cake thickness.

Clean Water through Nanotechnology: Needs, Gaps, and Fulfillment

Sustainable nanotechnology has made substantial contributions in providing contaminant-free water to humanity. In this Review, we present the compelling need for providing access to clean water through nanotechnology-enabled solutions and the large disparities in ensuring their implementation. We also discuss the current nanotechnology frontiers in diverse areas of the clean water space with an emphasis on applications in the field and provide suggestions for future research. Extending the vision of sustainable and affordable clean water to environment in general, we note that cities can live and breathe well by adopting such technologies. By understanding the global environmental challenges and exploring remedies from emerging nanotechnologies, sustainability in clean water can be realized. We suggest specific pointers and quantify the impact of such technologies.

Experimental Study of Electromagnetic-Assisted Rare-Earth Doped Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) Nanofluids on Wettability and Interfacial Tension Alteration

Applications of nanoparticles (NPs) in the Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method has become a major research field as nanoparticles are found to be able to interfere with the interfacial tension and wettability of multiphase fluids within the reservoir formation with or without the irradiance of the electromagnetic (EM) waves. For future EOR usage, a material with high temperature stability and low losses under oscillating wave is recommended, Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG). This paper describes the synthesis of rare-earth doped YIG (RE-YIG, RE = (Lanthanum (La), Neodymium (Nd) and Samarium (Sm)) and the roles of rare-earth in alteration of magnetic properties. These magnetic properties are believed to have direct relation with the change in wettability, viscosity and interfacial tension of YIG nanofluids. Here we prepared the Y2.8R0.2Fe5O12 (R = La, Nd, Sm) NPs using the sol-gel auto-combustion technique and further annealed at 1000 °C for 3 h. The Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) images reveal the particles having grain size ranging from 100–200 nm with high crystallinity and X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) shows varying shift of the peak position due to the bigger size of the rare-earth ions which resulted in structural distortion. The wettability of the nanofluid for all samples shows overall reduction under the influence of EM waves. On the other hand, the interfacial tension (IFT) and viscosity of RE-YIG nanofluids has lower value than the pure YIG nanofluids and decreases when the ionic radius of rare-earth decreases. Sm-YIG has the highest magnitude in IFT and magnetization saturation of 23.54 emu/g which suggests the increase in magnetization might contribute to higher surface tension of oil-nanofluid interface.

The effects of nickel oxide nanoparticles on structural changes, heme degradation, aggregation of hemoglobin and expression of apoptotic genes in lymphocytes

Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs) have received great interests in medical and biotechnological applications. However, their adverse impacts against biological systems have not been well-explored. Herein, the influence of NiO NPs on structural changes, heme degradation and aggregation of hemoglobin (Hb) was evaluated by UV-visible (Vis) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular modeling investigations. Also, the morphological changes and expression of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA in human lymphocyte cell exposed to NiO NPs were assayed by DAPI staining and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), respectively. The UV-Vis study depicted that NiO NPs resulted in the displacement of aromatic residues and heme groups and production of the pro-aggregatory species. Intrinsic and Thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence studies revealed that NiO NPs resulted in heme degradation and amorphous aggregation of Hb, respectively, which the latter result was also confirmed by TEM study. Moreover, far UV-CD study depicted that NiO NPs lead to substantial secondary structural changes of Hb. Furthermore, near UV-CD displayed that NiO NPs cause quaternary conformational changes of Hb as well as heme displacement. Molecular modelling study also approved that NiO NPs resulted in structural alterations of Hb and heme deformation. Moreover, morphological and genotoxicity assays revealed that the DNA fragmentation and expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 mRNA increased in lymphocyte cells treated with NiO NPs for 24 hr. In conclusion, this study indicates that NiO NPs may affect the biological media and their applications should be limited.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Removal of the heavy metal ion nickel (II) via an adsorption method using flower globular magnesium hydroxide

To remove toxic Ni(II) ions from wastewater, a novel flower globular magnesium hydroxide (FGMH) was prepared by a gentle method using trisodium citrate as a crystal modifier. This material exhibited a high specific surface area. The synthesized products and adsorption mechanism for Ni(II) ions were examined by diverse characterization technologies and methods. FGMH was employed to remove Ni(II) ions by the adsorption method. The effects of various parameters, viz., the amount of adsorbent, contact time, temperature and pH, on the removal rate by the adsorbent were investigated in detail. The kinetic data fitted well with a pseudo-second-order model and experimental equilibrium adsorption data conformed to a Langmuir isotherm under optimized conditions. The optimal process parameters included 30 mg of FGMH, a 50 min contact time, pH values between 6.07 and 7.71 for the Ni(II) solution, and adsorption at room temperature for 50 mL of 80 mg/L Ni(II) solution. The percentage of removal efficiency was found to be above 92.64%, and the maximum adsorption capacity of MH was 287.11 mg/g under optimum adsorption conditions. The analyses indicated that the Ni(II) ions were chemisorbed on the FGMH surface.

Plenty of Room at the Bottom: Nanotechnology as Solution to an Old Issue in Enhanced Oil Recovery

During the past half-century, the prefix “nano” attached to several words, such as “technology”, “motors”, “device”, and so on has denoted cutting-edge research fields and topics at the forefront of classical scientific disciplines. Possible application fields have been frequently evoked, even if real-life examples are still difficult to find. The present review analyzes how nanotechnology is utilized in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes so as to increase the efficiency of mature oilfields. Nanotechnology in EOR is classified into three categories: nanoparticles/nanofluids, nanoemulsions, and nanocatalysts. The advantages at the nanoscale are also described and discussed, including an overview of manufacturing methods as well as the concerns about their possible environmental impacts. Clearly, nanotechnology has the potential to boost EOR techniques, although there are still many questions and drawbacks to be tackled.