| Title | Adsorption of bitumen model compounds on kaolinite in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide solvents: A study by periodic density functional theory and molecular theory of solvation |
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| Author | Lage, M R; Stoyanov, S R; de Mesquita Carneiro, J W; Dabros, T; Kovalenko, A |
| Source | Energy & Fuels vol. 29, no. 5, 2014 p. 2853-2863, https://doi.org/10.1021/ef502202q  Open Access |
| Year | 2014 |
| Publisher | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| File format | PDF; HTML |
| Subjects | bitumen; kaolinite; carbon dioxide; energy; hydrogen; thermodynamics; hydrocarbons; oil sands; heavy oil; Extraction; Development |
| Illustrations | graphs; tables |
| Released | 2014 12 26 |
| Abstract | The geometry of phenanthridine, benzothiophene, tetralin, and naphthalene representative of the heterocyclic, naphthenic, and aromatic components of bitumen adsorbed on kaolinite is optimized using
density functional theory and periodic boundary conditions in gas phase. These bitumen model compounds preferentially adsorb on the aluminum hydroxide surface of kaolinite with energy decreasing in the order phenanthridine > naphthalene > tetralin ~
benzothiophene. The adsorption of phenanthridine is strengthened by hydrogen bonding between the pyridinic N atom and an axial hydroxyl group of kaolinite, while the rest of the molecules adsorb through van der Waals interactions. The mechanism of
solvation in CO2 and the effect of liquid and supercritical CO2 on the adsorption thermodynamics are studied using the three-dimensional reference interaction site model theory with the closure approximation of Kovalenko and Hirata (3D-RISM-KH)
molecular theory of solvation at 293-333 K and 10-30 MPa. The CO2 solvent interacts with the aluminum hydroxide surface of kaolinite by hydrogen bonding, with the pyridinic N atom of phenanthridine by electrostatic interactions, and with the rest of
the bitumen model compounds by hydrophobic interactions, as inferred from the 3D site density distribution functions of CO2. The molecule-kaolinite potentials of mean force in CO2 show that the adsorption of naphthalene and tetralin on kaolinite is
substantially weakened as the pressure is increased and the temperature is decreased. Benzothiophene adsorption is the least sensitive to CO2 temperature and pressure changes. In liquid CO2 at 30 MPa and 293 K, the hydrocarbon molecules are weakly
adsorbed and can be desorbed by CO2, while the heterocycles would remain adsorbed, suggesting an approach for extraction of deasphalted bitumen from oil sands. While the most favorable thermodynamic conditions for desorption are in liquid CO2, the
kinetic barrier for desorption is the most sensitive to small changes in the temperature and pressure in supercritical CO2, indicating that supercritical conditions are important for desorption rate control. These results suggest that the
investigated bitumen components can be selectively desorbed from kaolinite by controlling the temperature and pressure of the CO2 solvent and agree with experimental reports on heavy oil recovery. These insights are valuable for the development of
improved techniques for extraction of bitumen from oil sands and deasphalting of bitumen using liquid and supercritical CO2. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
The geometry of phenanthridine, benzothiophene, tetralin, and naphthalene representative of the heterocyclic, naphthenic, and aromatic components of
bitumen adsorbed on kaolinite is optimized using density functional theory and periodic boundary conditions in gas phase. These bitumen model compounds preferentially adsorb on the aluminum hydroxide surface of kaolinite with energy decreasing in the
order phenanthridine >naphthalene > tetralin ~ benzothiophene. The adsorption of phenanthridine is strengthened by hydrogen bonding between the pyridinic N atom and an axial hydroxyl group of kaolinite, while the rest of the molecules adsorb through
van der Waals interactions. The mechanism of solvation in CO 2 and the effect of liquid and supercritical CO 2 on the adsorption thermodynamics are studied using the three-dimensional reference interaction site model theory with the closure
approximation of Kovalenko and Hirata (3D-RISM-KH) molecular theory of solvation at 293-333 K and 10-30 MPa. The CO 2 solvent interacts with the aluminum hydroxide surface of kaolinite by hydrogen bonding, with the pyridinic N atom of phenanthridine
by electrostatic interactions, and with the rest of the bitumen model compounds by hydrophobic interactions, as inferred from the 3D site density distribution functions of CO 2. The molecule-kaolinite potentials of mean force in CO 2 show that the
adsorption of naphthalene and tetralin on kaolinite is substantially weakened as the pressure is increased and the temperature is decreased. Benzothiophene adsorption is the least sensitive to CO 2 temperature and pressure changes. In liquid CO 2 at
30 MPa and 293 K, the hydrocarbon molecules are weakly adsorbed and can be desorbed by CO 2, while the heterocycles would remain adsorbed, suggesting an approach for extraction of deasphalted bitumen from oil sands. While the most favorable
thermodynamic conditions for desorption are in liquid CO 2, the kinetic barrier for desorption is the most sensitive to small changes in the temperature and pressure in supercritical CO 2, indicating that supercritical conditions are important for
desorption rate control. These results suggest that the investigated bitumen components can be selectively desorbed from kaolinite by controlling the temperature and pressure of the CO 2 solvent and agree with experimental reports on heavy oil
recovery. These insights are valuable for the development of improved techniques for extraction of bitumen from oil sands and deasphalting of bitumen using liquid and supercritical CO 2. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 298906 |
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