Development of a support for a NiO catalyst for selective adsorption and post-adsorption catalytic steam gasification of thermally converted asphaltenes

Nanotechnology Applied to Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes: A Review

The increasing demand for fossil fuels and the depleting of light crude oil in the next years generates the need to exploit heavy and unconventional crude oils. To face this challenge, the oil and gas industry has chosen the implementation of new technologies capable of improving the efficiency in the enhanced recovery oil (EOR) processes. In this context, the incorporation of nanotechnology through the development of nanoparticles and nanofluids to increase the productivity of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils has taken significant importance, mainly through thermal enhanced oil recovery (TEOR) processes. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of nanotechnology applied to oil recovery technologies with a focus on thermal methods, elaborating on the upgrading of the heavy and extra-heavy crude oils using nanomaterials from laboratory studies to field trial proposals. In detail, the introduction section contains general information about EOR processes, their weaknesses, and strengths, as well as an overview that promotes the application of nanotechnology. Besides, this review addresses the physicochemical properties of heavy and extra-heavy crude oils in Section 2. The interaction of nanoparticles with heavy fractions such as asphaltenes and resins, as well as the variables that can influence the adsorptive phenomenon are presented in detail in Section 3. This section also includes the effects of nanoparticles on the other relevant mechanisms in TEOR methods, such as viscosity changes, wettability alteration, and interfacial tension reduction. The catalytic effect influenced by the nanoparticles in the different thermal recovery processes is described in Sections 4, 5, 6, and 7. Finally, Sections 8 and 9 involve the description of an implementation plan of nanotechnology for the steam injection process, environmental impacts, and recent trends. Additionally, the review proposes critical stages in order to obtain a successful application of nanoparticles in thermal oil recovery processes.

Influence of the Ce4+/Ce3+ Redox-Couple on the Cyclic Regeneration for Adsorptive and Catalytic Performance of NiO-PdO/CeO2±δ Nanoparticles for n-C7 Asphaltene Steam Gasification

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the regenerative effect of functionalized CeO_2±δ nanoparticles with a mass fraction of 0.89% of NiO and 1.1% of PdO in adsorption and subsequent decomposition of n-C₇ asphaltenes in steam gasification processes. During each regeneration cycle, the adsorption capacity and the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles were evaluated. To estimate the adsorption capacity of the nanoparticles, adsorption kinetics were studied at a fixed concentration of n-C₇ asphaltenes of 10 mg·L⁻¹ as well as adsorption isotherms at three different temperatures at 25 °C, 55 °C, and 75 °C. To evaluate the catalytic activity, the loss of mass of the nanoparticles was evaluated by isothermal conversions with a thermogravimetric analyzer at 230 °C, 240 °C, and 250 °C, and at non-isothermal conditions involving a heating from 100 °C to 600 °C at a 20 °C·min⁻¹ heating rate. The asphaltenes showed a high affinity for being adsorbed over the nanoparticles surface, due to the nanoparticles-asphaltene interactions are stronger than those that occur between asphaltene-asphaltene, and this was maintained during nine evaluated regeneration cycles as observed in the Henry’s constant that increased slightly, with changes of 21%, 26% and 31% for 25 °C, 55 °C and 75 °C. Polanyi’s adsorption potential decreases by 2.6% for the same amount adsorbed from the first cycle to the ninth. In addition, the catalytic activity of the nanoparticles did not change significantly, showing that they decompose 100% of the n-C₇ asphaltenes in all cycles. However, the small decrease in the adsorption capacity and catalytic activity of the nanoparticles is mainly due to the presence and change in concentration and ratio of certain elements such as oxygen, iron or others at the surface of the nanoparticle as shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. Thermodynamic parameters of adsorption such as ΔHadso, ΔSadso, and ΔGadso and the effective activation energy (E_a) were calculated to compare adsorptive and catalytic performance during each cycle. There is an increase of 9.3% and 2.6% in the case of entropy and enthalpy, respectively, and a decrease of 0.5%, 3.1% and 6.5% for 25 °C, 55 °C and 75 °C respectively for the Gibss free energy from cycle 1 to cycle 9. It was found that these parameters are correlated with the Ce concentration and oxidation state ratios (Ce³⁺/Ce⁴⁺ couple) at the surface.

Immobilization of P. stutzeri on Activated Carbons for Degradation of Hydrocarbons from Oil-in-Saltwater Emulsions

Production water is the largest byproduct of the oil industry and must be treated before disposal, either by reinjection or shedding processes, with the purpose of eliminating emulsified crude oil and avoiding the operational and toxic problems associated with it. The objective of this work was to immobilize a hydrocarbon-degrading strain on activated carbons, to evaluate the biocomplex’s capacity for catalyzing hydrocarbons from Oil in Brine emulsions (O/W) simulating produced waters. Activated carbons were prepared and their chemical and porous properties were estimated by XPS, pH_PZC and SEM, N₂ adsorption, and mercury porosimetry. Biomaterials were synthesized and hydrocarbon removal tests were performed. The basic and neutral carbons immobilized Pseudomonas stutzeri by physisorption in the macroporous space and electrostatic interactions (10⁸–10⁹ UFC∙g⁻¹), while acid materials inhibited bacterial growth. Removal of aromatic hydrocarbons was more efficient using materials (60%–93%) and biomaterials (16%–84%) than using free P. stutzeri (1%–47%), and the removal efficiencies of crude oil were 22%, 48% and 37% for P. stutzeri and two biomaterials, respectively. The presence of minor hydrocarbons only when P. stutzeri was present confirmed the biotransformation process.

The effect of the nanosize on surface properties of NiO nanoparticles for the adsorption of Quinolin-65

Using Quinolin-65 (Q-65) as a model-adsorbing compound for polar heavy hydrocarbons, the nanosize effect of NiO nanoparticles on the adsorption of Q-65 was investigated.

Effect of nanosized and surface-structural-modified nano-pyroxene on adsorption of violanthrone-79

A new environmentally sound and low-cost yet highly efficient pyroxene nanoparticles employed for the first time as nanoadsorbents for violanthrone-79.