Influence of stearic acid and alumina nanofluid on CO2 wettability of calcite substrates: Implications for CO2 geological storage in carbonate reservoirs

Construction of low-energy regenerative bagasse-based carbon capture material for high efficiency CO2 capture

Using biomass for the production of low-energy regenerative carbon capture materials represents an effective strategy to advance carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies. In this study, a low-energy regenerative bagasse-based CO2 capture material is synthesized through a one-step, rapid crosslinking strategy. In this method, epichlorohydrin is used to crosslink bagasse with temperature sensitive Pluronic® F-127 and polyethyleneimine, thereby addressing the challenge of simultaneously incorporating multiple functional groups into the biomass matrix. The resulting material with abundant amino adsorption sites demonstrates a high adsorption capacity of 4.52 mmol/g. Interestingly, the temperature-sensitive response of the material facilitates the grafted amine chain segments on bagasse to stretch and shrink reversibly within a narrow temperature range of 25 °C for adsorption and 55 °C for desorption. The shrinkage state is conducive to the CO2 desorption process, resulting in an ultralow regeneration temperature of 55 °C. Additionally, the water contained in the material enhances its cyclic stability in extreme environments, such as pure CO2 atmosphere at high temperature. Overall, this research not only provides new ideas for enhancing the long-term stability and economic viability of CO2 capture materials but also offers feasible solutions for combating climate change and promoting sustainable development.

A comprehensive review of lipase-catalyzed acidolysis as a method for producing structured glycerides

The production of structured lipids is a current trend in food technology in order to enhance the properties of fats and oils. Lipases have been utilized in many instances for this purpose, in most examples in an immobilized form. In this review, after discussing the different strategies to produce artificial lipids using lipases (esterification, transesterification, interesterification), we have focused on acidolysis. The reaction commences with hydrolysis at one position of the triglyceride molecule and is followed by the esterification between the released hydroxyl group and the target fatty acid (although other carboxylic acids can be used, such as phenolic acid derivatives). This means that water plays a double role, as substrate in the first step and as an undesired by-product in the second one. Therefore, the control of water activity becomes critical in these reactions. This review discusses the advantages, possibilities and drawbacks of this strategy to produce tailor-made designed lipids, summarizing many of the papers related to this strategy. The summarized results show the complexity of this reaction that can make the understanding and reproducibility of the reactions complex if there are no strict controls of all parameters determining the final yields.

Quantitative Characterization of Adhesion Work on Shale Surfaces and Discussion on the Influence of Roughness Based on Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

Adhesion is an intrinsic property of rocks and liquids. Investigating the factors contributing to its formation and the mechanisms governing its action is crucial for elucidating the adhesion work between solids and liquids. The adhesion work, serving as a parameter that characterizes the energy changes during the solid-liquid contact process, is a vital tool for probing this phenomenon. However, conventional measurements of the adhesion work are significantly influenced by surface roughness and fail to differentiate local variations in the adhesion performance. This limitation obscures our understanding of the primary adsorption sites and mechanisms between solids and liquids, posing significant challenges to the study of rock surface properties. In this study, in conjunction with scanning electron microscopy and contact angle analyses, we elucidated for the first time the locations where voids form during the solid-liquid contact process, the lithological composition of rough areas, and their impact on the adhesion work between water/oil and the surfaces. Additionally, employing atomic force microscopy (AFM), we examined the variations in water/oil-solid adhesion work across different characteristic regions, thereby characterizing the overall hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of the rock core. Specific conclusions are as follows: (1) A negative correlation exists between roughness and the contact angle adhesion work, with heterogeneity impeding liquid-rock contact; (2) By comparing the strength of water-solid/oil-solid adhesion work within localized areas, we delineated the adhesion work characteristics of samples and their primary generation sites, with oil-solid adhesion work in target blocks predominantly originating from quartz, clay minerals, and organic matter; (3) The influence of pore throat development on the overall adhesion work of samples was clarified, demonstrating that an increase in the proportion of internal rock pores enhances the surface oil-solid adhesion work; (4) A dimensionless wetting index I was established to mitigate the impact of roughness on the expression of adhesion work, exhibiting a strong correlation with traditional evaluation methods.