Mineral fines have been applied in the cleanup of the oil spilled at sea. By contacting fine minerals, oils can be trapped in a form of oil-mineral aggregates (OMA) which are easily transported from sea surface to the water column. OMA has become an effective environmental-friendly cleanup technique. On the other hand, minerals serve as a catalyst in the formation and evolution of crude oil and in thermal treatment processes of heavy fuels. The presence of mineral fines can surpass delay coke formation and accelerate the cracking of hydrocarbon molecules. Though distinct processes, mineral fines play an important role. Take a close look, it is noticed that the physico-chemical interactions between oil droplets and minerals, involving water in some cases, do play its role in the two distinct proposes. Figure 1 shows that increase in hydrophobicity of kaolin leads to large OMA and formation of oil wrapped mineral fines. The work presented in this article correlates the physical and chemical properties of kaolin such as wettability, acidity in the formation of oil-mineral aggregates. The presence of surfactant promotes the formation OMA and further function differently at room temperature and elevated temperatures.

Understanding of the role of natural minerals in oil aggregrates: Effects of temperature

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.