Evaluation of the Thermal, Chemical, Mechanical, and Microbial Stability of New Nanohybrids Based on Carboxymethyl-Scleroglucan and Silica Nanoparticles for EOR Applications

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14; no. 8; p. 676
• Main Authors: Castro, Rubén H, Corredor, Laura M, Llanos, Sebastián, Rodríguez, Zully P, Burgos, Isidro, Niño, Jhorman A, Idrobo, Eduardo A, Romero Bohórquez, Arnold R, Zapata Acosta, Karol, Franco, Camilo A, Cortés, Farid B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 13-04-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Bacteria; Biodegradation; Biopolymers; carboxymethyl-scleroglucan; Catalysis; Cell death; Chemical degradation; Chemical properties; Chemical reactions; Chloride; Energy sources; Enhanced oil recovery; EOR; Heat resistance; High temperature; Mechanical properties; Methyl groups; Microbial degradation; Microorganisms; nanohybrid; Nanoparticles; Oil recovery; Polymers; Polysaccharides; Reservoirs; Rheology; Salinity; Scleroglucan; Shear stress; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Substrates; Thermal degradation; Thermal properties; Viscosity; Colombia; St Louis Missouri; United States > US; nanohybrid; EOR; biodegradation; scleroglucan; carboxymethyl-scleroglucan
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano14080676

Scleroglucan (SG) is resistant to harsh reservoir conditions such as high temperature, high shear stresses, and the presence of chemical substances. However, it is susceptible to biological degradation because bacteria use SG as a source of energy and carbon. All degradation effects lead to viscosity loss of the SG solutions, affecting their performance as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) polymer. Recent studies have shown that nanoparticles (NPs) can mitigate these degradative effects. For this reason, the EOR performance of two new nanohybrids (NH-A and NH-B) based on carboxymethyl-scleroglucan and amino-functionalized silica nanoparticles was studied. The susceptibility of these products to chemical, mechanical, and thermal degradation was evaluated following standard procedures (API RP 63), and the microbial degradation was assessed under reservoir-relevant conditions (1311 ppm and 100 °C) using a bottle test system. The results showed that the chemical reactions for the nanohybrids obtained modified the SG triple helix configuration, impacting its viscosifying power. However, the nanohybrid solutions retained their viscosity during thermal, mechanical, and chemical degradation experiments due to the formation of a tridimensional network between the nanoparticles (NPs) and the SG. Also, NH-A and NH-B solutions exhibited bacterial control because of steric hindrances caused by nanoparticle modifications to SG. This prevents extracellular glucanases from recognizing the site of catalysis, limiting free glucose availability and generating cell death due to substrate depletion. This study provides insights into the performance of these nanohybrids and promotes their application in reservoirs with harsh conditions.