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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants

Published on: June 3, 2022

Phosphorylated Nanocellulose/Surfactant-Stabilized Middle-Phase Microemulsions for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Yuqin Cheng¹, Heng Chang², Xin Su³

¹State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|June 23, 2026

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This study introduces a novel nanocellulose-surfactant system for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The developed microemulsion flooding agent achieves high oil recovery and reduces surfactant loss in sandstone cores.

Area of Science:

Petroleum Engineering
Materials Science
Colloid and Surface Chemistry

Background:

Middle-phase microemulsion flooding is crucial for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
Nanocellulose-surfactant systems are explored for emulsion-based EOR, but their role in stabilizing middle-phase microemulsions is underexplored.
Developing stable and efficient microemulsion systems is key to improving oil displacement.

Purpose of the Study:

To formulate and evaluate a novel middle-phase microemulsion flooding system using phosphorylated cellulose nanocrystals (P-CNCs) and a binary surfactant mixture.
To optimize the formulation for stability, ultralow interfacial tension (IFT), and high oil recovery in sandstone cores.
To assess the system's performance in reducing surfactant loss and its compatibility with reservoir conditions.

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Main Methods:

Formulation of a microemulsion system with P-CNCs, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), and dodecyl/myristyl dimethyl hydroxypropyl sulfobetaine (HSB1214).
Evaluation of phase behavior, solubilization parameters, and dynamic/static interfacial tension (IFT) measurements.
Core flooding tests using sandstone cores with model oil and brine to determine oil recovery efficiency and surfactant/nanocellulose retention.

Main Results:

An optimal Winsor III middle-phase microemulsion formulation was identified: 0.05 wt% P-CNC, 0.5 wt% SDBS/HSB1214, and 4.0 wt% NaCl.
The system achieved a dynamic oil-water IFT of 2.4 × 10⁻⁴ mN/m and remained stable in 4.0 wt% NaCl for over 75 days.
Core flooding tests demonstrated an 88.85% overall oil recovery (25.13% increment), significantly reduced surfactant loss (42.34% reduction), and low P-CNC retention (17.61 μg/g).

Conclusions:

The novel P-CNC-surfactant system provides a stable and high-performance chemical EOR agent.
The system effectively reduces residual oil saturation through ultralow IFT generation.
The P-CNC-surfactant flooding system exhibits excellent pore-scale transport compatibility and reduced surfactant adsorption, making it promising for practical EOR applications.