Molecular simulation of crude oil adsorption onto clay mineral surfaces. Trends in adsorption are observed with changes in salinity, clay properties, and temperature. This work provides molecular-scale properties relevant to low salinity flooding.
A study comparing the REE sorption characteristics of fresh ligand-based sorption media and media partially loaded with REEs when exposed to a simulated geothermal brine with known mineral concentrations, REE7. Sorption rates were tested using microcosm shaker tests. Results suggest that preferential REE sorption is greater for fresh media, but this preference differs between elements.
Experimental results from several studies exploring the impact of pH and acid volume on the stripping of rare earth elements (REEs) loaded onto ligand-based media via an active column. The REEs in this experiment were loaded onto the media through exposure to a simulated geothermal brine with known mineral concentrations. The data include the experiment results, rare earth element concentrations, and the experimental parameters varied.
Description of a conceptual commercial process to remove rare earth elements (REEs) from geothermal brine, based on a small-scale laboratory experiment to load, strip, and regenerate a ligand-based media used to adsorb REEs from a simulated brine doped with known mineral concentrations.
Batch tests of cross-linked lithium and manganese imprinted polymers of variable composition to assess their ability to extract lithium and manganese from synthetic brines at T=45 deg C .
Surfactant concentration is one of the important factors in determining foam generation and propagation.When surfactant solutionis flowing in a reservoir formation, surfactants will be diluted by flow dispersion, retained in dead-end pores, adsorbed on rock surfaces, or precipitated due to ion exchange. All these physical and chemical aspects complicate the problem of foam. The loss of surfactant will be detrimental to the performance of gas foam. Information of surfactant concentration profiles in reservoir formations is essential for gas foaming technique development. This research was designed to investigate the transport and adsorption phenomena of surfactants in porous media. The major objective of this research is to investigate with mathematical models the transport and dynamic adsorption of surfactants in porous media. The mathematical models have taken into account the convection, dispersion, capacitance, and adsorption effects on concentrations of surfactants. Numerical methods and computer programs have been developed which can be used to match experimental results and to determine the characterization parameters in the models. The models can be included in foam simulation programs to calculate surfactant concentration profiles in porousmedia. A flow experimental method was developed to measure the effluent surfactant concentration, which will be used to determine the model parameters. Commercial foaming agent Alipal CD-128 was used in this study. Equilibrium adsorption and surfactant precipitation have been tested. Tracer solutions with a nonadsorbing solute such as dextrose and sucrose were used to determine the dispersion parameters for the experimental sandpack; thus, the adsorption of the surfactant in the test sand can be identified with an adequate model.
This document describes the method and results of an in-situ experiment used to confirm that ligand bleed from a sorptive media can be contained. The experiment focused on maintaining the media's sorption of rare earth elements (REE) obtained from a simulated geothermal brine doped with known mineral concentrations.
Molecular simulation of crude oil (resin) adsorption onto hydroxylated edge surfaces of the clay mineral kaolinite. Trends in adsorption are observed with changes in salinity and surface charge. This work provides molecular-scale properties relevant to low salinity flooding.
Description of experimental protocol used to characterize the effectiveness of regenerating ligand-based adsorption media through the addition of ligands when media were previously depleted of ligands during use. Results of the effectiveness of this regeneration are also described.
We summarized the FY17 and part of FY18 results of the analysis of the effect of several parameters (e.g., total dissolved solids, specific competing metals, pH, and temperature) on REE recovery from geothermal brine in a manuscript that was submitted to Environmental Science & Technology. In this manuscript, we investigate biosorption as a potential means of recovering REEs from geothermal fluids, a low-grade but abundant REE source. We have previously engineered E. coli to express lanthanide binding tags (LBTs) on the cell surface and the resulting strain showed an increase in both REE adsorption capacity and selectivity. Here we examined how REE adsorption by the engineered E. coli is affected by various geochemical factors relevant to geothermal fluids, including total dissolved solids (TDS), temperature, pH, and the presence of competing trace metals.
Report on carbon capture and storage for enhanced coalbed methane recovery in the Appalachian Basin discussing the project background in the MRCSP region, CO2 field tests, and potential storage and recovery.
The current uncertainty in the global supply of rare earth elements (REEs) necessitates the development of novel extraction technologies that utilize a variety of REE source materials. Herein, we examined the techno-economic performance of integrating a biosorption approach into a large-scale process for producing salable total rare earth oxides (TREOs) from various feedstocks. An airlift bioractor is proposed to carry out a biosorption process mediated by bioengineered rare earth-adsorbing bacteria. Techno-econmic asssements were compared for three distinctive categories of REE feedstocks requiring different pre-processing steps. Key parameters identified that affect profitability include REE concentration, composition of the feedstock, and costs of feedstock pretreatment and waste management. Among the 11 specific feedstocks investigated, coal ash from the Appalachian Basin was projected to be the most profitable, largely due to its high-value REE content. Its cost breakdown includes pre-processing (primarily leaching) (8077.71%), biosorption (1619.04%), and oxalic acid precipitation and TREO roasting (3.35%). Surprisingly, biosorption from the high-grade Bull Hill REE ore is less profitable due to high material cost and low production revenue. Overall, our results confirmed that the application of biosorption to low-grade feedstocks for REE recovery is economically viable.