In the oil and gas industry, reducing oil contents of produced water allows to improve water quality, increase oil recovery, enhance water reusability. The novel absorbent materials were synthesized for pol water separation. These alkylamine functional groups on graphene are hydrophobic by nature and have affinity toward non-polar solvents and molecules. Stable and robust graphene modified with linear alkylamines inculding n-propylamin, n-hexylamine and n-dodecylamine were synthesized. First, Graphene oxide (GO) is prepared from graphite by a modified Hummer’s method. Alkylamine is added to react with the carboxylic acids on the graphene oxide to form amides. The resultant alkylamide functionalized GO is then reduced. The reduction simultaneously reduces amides to amines while removing a substantial amount of oxygen atoms from the alkylamide functionalized GO to form an alkylamine functionalized rGO, the alkylamine modified graphene. Then, the prepared materials, graphene modified with n-propylamine (GPA) graphene modified with n-hexylamine (GHA) and graphene-modified with n - dodecylamine (GDA) were characterized and evaluated for their performance in removing oil components models. Oil and organic contaminants were used as models to determine the absorption capacity of the synthesized materials. FTIR spectra of the materials were obtained for GPA, GHA and GDA and compared with GO. One main difference with GO is the disappearance of the bands corresponding to some oxygen containing functionalities (such as the OH stretch at a wavenumber of 3426 cm-1, C=O stretch at 1724 cm-1, and C-O stretch at 1225 and 1054 cm-1). The contact angles of the alkylamine modified graphene were measured and showed that GPA has a range from about 140° to 149°, GHA was measured as 152° and contact angle of GDA was measured as 163°. The newly developed alkylamine modified graphene materials (GPA, GHA and GDA) showed high oil absorptivity and a 100% water rejection. They have the ability to adsorb up to 3x its initial weight of the hydrocarbon from water within short time. Also it can easily be recycled for reuse.

Modified graphene absorbent materials for oil removal from produced water

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