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Updated: Nov 27, 2025
Extraction and Characterization of Surfactants from Atmospheric Aerosols
Published on: April 21, 2017
Reducing anionic surfactant adsorption using polyacrylate as sacrificial agent investigated by QCM-D
Zilong Liu1, Pegah Hedayati2, Murali K Ghatkesar3
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Optical Detection Technology for Oil and Gas, College of Science, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China; Organic Materials & Interfaces, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands.
Polyacrylate (PA) reduces anionic surfactant (AAS) adsorption onto calcite surfaces, crucial for enhancing oil recovery. Preflushing with PA significantly lowers surfactant loss, improving economic feasibility.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Engineering
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Surfactant adsorption to rock surfaces hinders enhanced oil recovery (EOR) efficiency.
- Reducing surfactant loss is key to making EOR economically viable.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate polyacrylate (PA) as a sacrificial agent to minimize anionic surfactant (AAS) adsorption.
- Focus on calcite surfaces and the role of calcium ions.
Main Methods:
- Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D).
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
- Experiments under varying salinity and calcium ion concentrations.
Main Results:
- AAS adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm; PA adsorption is slower.
- Calcium ion bridging is critical for AAS and PA adsorption on calcite.
- Preflushing with PA reduced AAS adsorption by 30% in high salinity.
- PA reduced AAS adsorption on alumina > calcite > silica.
Conclusions:
- Preflushing with PA is more effective than simultaneous injection for reducing surfactant adsorption.
- PA acts as an effective sacrificial agent, mitigating surfactant loss in EOR.
- Findings provide insights for optimizing EOR flooding strategies.
