Dataset Information

Sub-CMC solubilization of dodecane by rhamnolipid in saturated porous media.

ABSTRACT: Experiments were conducted with a two-dimensional flow cell to examine the effect of monorhamnolipid surfactant at sub-CMC concentrations on solubilization of dodecane in porous media under dynamic flow conditions. Quartz sand was used as the porous medium and artificial groundwater was used as the background solution. The effectiveness of the monorhamnolipid was compared to that of SDBS, Triton X-100, and ethanol. The results demonstrated the enhancement of dodecane solubility by monorhamnolipid surfactant at concentrations lower than CMC. The concentrations (50-210??M) are sufficiently low that they do not cause mobilization of the dodecane. Retention of rhamnolipid in the porous medium and detection of nano-size aggregates in the effluent show that the solubilization is based on a sub-CMC aggregate-formation mechanism, which is significantly stronger than the solubilization caused by the co-solvent effect. The rhamnolipid biosurfactant is more efficient for the solubilization compared to the synthetic surfactants. These results indicate a strategy of employing low concentrations of rhamnolipid for surfactant-enhanced aquifer remediation (SEAR), which may overcome the drawbacks of using surfactants at hyper-CMC concentrations.

SUBMITTER: Zhong H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5020404 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sub-CMC solubilization of dodecane by rhamnolipid in saturated porous media.

Zhong Hua H Zhang Hui H Liu Zhifeng Z Yang Xin X Brusseau Mark L ML Zeng Guangming G

Scientific reports 20160913

Experiments were conducted with a two-dimensional flow cell to examine the effect of monorhamnolipid surfactant at sub-CMC concentrations on solubilization of dodecane in porous media under dynamic flow conditions. Quartz sand was used as the porous medium and artificial groundwater was used as the background solution. The effectiveness of the monorhamnolipid was compared to that of SDBS, Triton X-100, and ethanol. The results demonstrated the enhancement of dodecane solubility by monorhamnolipi ...[more]

PMID: 27619361

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Project description:Laboratory measurements of capillary pressure (Pc) and the electrical resistivity index (RI) of reservoir rocks are used to calibrate well logging tools and to determine reservoir fluid distribution. Significant studies on the methods and factors affecting these measurements in rocks containing oil, gas, and water are adequately reported in the literature. However, with the advent of chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, surfactants are mixed with injection fluids to generate foam to enhance the gas injection process. Foam is a complex and non-Newtonian fluid whose behavior in porous media is different from conventional reservoir fluids. As a result, the effect of foam on Pc and the reliability of using known rock models such as the Archie equation to fit experimental resistivity data in rocks containing foam are yet to be ascertained. In this study, we investigated the effect of foam on the behavior of both Pc and RI curves in sandstone and carbonate rocks using both porous plate and two-pole resistivity methods at ambient temperature. Our results consistently showed that for a given water saturation (Sw), the RI of a rock increases in the presence of foam than without foam. We found that, below a critical Sw, the resistivity of a rock containing foam continues to rise rapidly. We argue, based on knowledge of foam behavior in porous media, that this critical Sw represents the regime where the foam texture begins to become finer, and it is dependent on the properties of the rock and the foam. Nonetheless, the Archie model fits the experimental data of the rocks but with resulting saturation exponents that are higher than conventional gas-water rock systems. The degree of variation in the saturation exponents between the two fluid systems also depends on the rock and fluid properties. A theory is presented to explain this phenomenon. We also found that foam affects the saturation exponent in a similar way as oil-wet rocks in the sense that they decrease the cross-sectional area of water available in the pores for current flow. Foam appears to have competing and opposite effects caused by the presence of clay, micropores, and conducting minerals, which tend to lower the saturation exponent at low Sw. Finally, the Pc curve is consistently lower in foam than without foam for the same Sw.

Dataset Information

Sub-CMC solubilization of dodecane by rhamnolipid in saturated porous media.

Publications

Sub-CMC solubilization of dodecane by rhamnolipid in saturated porous media.

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