Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T00:42:35.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Solvent-Kaolinite Interactions Investigated using the 3D-Rism-Kh Molecular Theory of Solvation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Stanislav R. Stoyanov ,
Feng Lin  and
Yuming Xu
Stanislav R. Stoyanov*
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY in Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, 9211 116 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada
Feng Lin
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY in Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada
Yuming Xu
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Canada, CanmetENERGY in Devon, 1 Oil Patch Drive, Devon, AB T9G 1A8, Canada
*
*E-mail address of corresponding author: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The oil sands of western Canada represent the third largest hydrocarbon deposit in the world. Bitumen, a very heavy petroleum, is recovered from mined oil sands using warm water extraction followed by separation treatments to isolate the bitumen product. The high energy, water use, as well as tailings remediation challenges associated with the warm water extraction process raise major environmental concerns. Non-aqueous extraction using organic solvents at room temperature has been investigated extensively as an alternative to the warm water extraction process. The main challenge to the large-scale implementation of non-aqueous extraction is the retention of solvent in the tailings. The objective of this work was to present and validate a computational model for the interaction of solvents used in non-aqueous extraction with minerals, such as the abundant and adsorbent clay mineral kaolinite. The model system contained a periodically extended kaolinite platelet immersed in a solvent and all were treated at the atomic level using the 3D Reference Interaction Site Model with the Kovalenko-Hirata closure approximation (3D-RISM-KH) molecular theory of solvation. The solvent solvation free energy of interaction with kaolinite as well as site-specific adsorption energies and kinetic barriers for desorption were computed based on the solvent site density distribution functions. Moreover, the lateral and integrated density distributions were computed to analyze the organization of solvent at kaolinite surfaces. The integrated density distribution profiles were correlated with experimental adsorption isotherms. The results showed very strong adsorption of ethanol and weak adsorption of hydrocarbon solvents on kaolinite, which were in qualitative agreement with experimental solvent extraction reports. The model and these findings are valuable in understanding the mechanism of solvent retention in tailings after non-aqueous extraction and highlight the action of hydroxylated cosolvent additives to enhance extraction using nonpolar solvents.

Keywords

Adsorption EnergyDensity Distribution FunctionKaoliniteKinetic Barrier For DesorptionNon-aqueous ExtractionOil Sands BitumenSolvent RetentionTailings
Type
Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 66 , Issue 3 , June 2018 , pp. 286 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Clay Minerals Society 2018

References

Allen, B.L. Hajek, B.F., Dixon, J.B. and Weed, S.B., 1989 Mineral occurrence in soil environments Minerals in Soil Environments Madison, Wisconsin, USA Soil Science Society of America 233–236.Google Scholar
Bensebaa, F. Kotlyar, L.S. Sparks, B.D. and Chung, K.H., 2000 Organic coated solids in Athabasca bitumen: Characterization and process implications Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 78 610–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bish, D.L., 1993 Rietveld refinement of the kaolinite structure at 1.5 K Clays and Clay Minerals 41 738–744.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bish, D.L. and Johnston, C.T., 1993 Rietveld refinement and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic study of the dickite structure at low temperature Clays and Clay Minerals 41 297–304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chandler, D. McCoy, J. and Singer, S., 1986a Density functional theory of nonuniform polyatomic systems I. General formulation. Journal of Chemical Physics 85 5971–5976.Google Scholar
Chandler, D. McCoy, J. and Singer, S., 1986b Density functional theory of nonuniform polyatomic systems II. Rational closures for integral equations. Journal of Chemical Physics 85 5977–5982.Google Scholar
Costa, L.M. Hayaki, S. Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. Tan, X. Gray, M.R. Stryker, J.M. Tykwinski, R. Carneiro, J.W.M. Sato, H. Seidl, P.R. and Kovalenko, A., 2012a 3D-RISMKH Molecular theory of solvation and density functional theory investigation of the role of water in the aggregation of model asphaltenes Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 14 3922–3934.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Costa, L.M. Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. Tan, X. Gray, M.R. Stryker, J.M. Tykwinski, R. Carneiro, J.W.M. Seidl, P.R. and Kovalenko, A., 2012b Density functional theory investigation of the contributions of π—π stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions to the aggregation of model asphaltene compounds Energy & Fuels 26 2727–2735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cygan, R.T. Liang, J.-J. and Kalinichev, A.G., 2004 Molecular models of hydroxide, oxyhydroxide, and clay phases and the development of a general force field Journal of Physical Chemistry B 108 1255–1266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Detellier, C. Lataief, S. Fafard, J. and Dedzo, G.K., 2015.Desorption of bitumen from clay particles and mature fine tailingsGoogle Scholar
Eckert, W.F. Masliyah, J.H. Gray, M.R. and Fedorak, M.R., 1996 Prediction of sedimentation and consolidation of fine tails AIChE Journal 42 960–972.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fafard, J. Lyubimova, O. Stoyanov, S.R. Dedzo, G.K. Gusarov, S. Kovalenko, A. and Detellier, C., 2013 Adsorption of indole on kaolinite in non-aqueous media: Organoclay preparation, characterization, and investigation by the 3D-RISM-KH molecular theory of solvation Journal of Physical Chemistry C 117 18556–18566.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, J.-P. and McDonald, I.R., 2006 Theory of Simple Liquids 3 London, UK Elsevier/Academic Press.Google Scholar
Heaviside, O., 1885.XXX. Electromagnetic induction and its propagation The ElectricianGoogle Scholar
Heaviside, O., 1886.XXXY. Electromagnetic induction and its propagation The ElectricianGoogle Scholar
Heaviside, O., 1887.XXXVI. Some notes on the theory of the telephone, and on hysteresis The ElectricianGoogle Scholar
Hlushak, S. and Kovalenko, A., 2017 Effective interactions and adsorption of heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in kaolinite organic solutions studied by 3D-RISM-KH molecular theory of solvation Journal of Physical Chemistry C 121 22092–22104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hlushak, S. Stoyanov, S.R. and Kovalenko, A., 2016 A 3DRISM- KH molecular theory of solvation study of the effective stacking interactions of kaolinite nanoparticles in aqueous electrolyte solution containing additives Journal of Physical Chemistry C 120 21344–21357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, W.-J. Blinov, N. and Kovalenko, A., 2015 Octanolwater partition coefficient from 3D-RISM-KH molecular theory of solvation with partial molar volume correction Journal of Physical Chemistry B 119 5588–5597.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huang, W.-J. Dedzo, G.K. Stoyanov, S.R. Lyubimova, O. Gusarov, S. Singh, S. Lao, H. Kovalenko, A. and Detellier, C., 2014 Molecule-surface recognition between heterocyclic aromatic compounds and kaolinite in toluene investigated by molecular theory of solvation and thermodynamic and kinetic experiments Journal of Physical Chemistry C 118 23821–23834.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, W.L. Laird, E.R. Nguyen, T.B. and Tirado-Rives, J., 1993 Monte Carlo simulations of pure liquid substituted benzenes with OPLS potential functions Journal of Computational Chemistry 14 206–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, WL ^ D.S, a. and Tirado-Rives, J., 1996 Development and testing of the OPLS all-atom force fields on conformational energetics and properties of organic liquids Journal of the American Chemical Society 118 11225–11236.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, W.L. and Tirado-Rives, J., 1988 The OPLS potential functions for proteins Energy minimizations for crystals of cyclic peptides and crambin. Journal of the American Chemical Society 110 1657–1666.Google ScholarPubMed
Kobryn, A.E. and Kovalenko, A., 2008 Molecular theory of hydrodynamic boundary conditions in nanofluidics Journal of Chemical Physics 129 134701.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovalenko, A., Hirata, F., 2003 Three-dimensional RISM theory for molecular liquids and solid-liquid interfaces Molecular Theory of Solvation Dordrecht, The Netherlands Kluwer Academic Publishers 169–275.Google Scholar
Kovalenko, A. and Hirata, F., 2000a Potentials of mean force of simple ions in ambient aqueous solution I: Threedimensional reference interaction site model approach. Journal of Chemical Physics 112 10391–10402.Google Scholar
Kovalenko, A. and Hirata, F., 2000b Potentials of mean force of simple ions in ambient aqueous solution. II. Solvation structure from the three-dimensional reference interaction site model approach, and comparison with simulations Journal of Chemical Physics, 112, 10403–10417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kovalenko, A. and Hirata, F., 2001 A replica reference interaction site model theory for a polar molecular liquid sorbed in a disordered microporous material with polar chemical groups Journal of Chemical Physics 115 8620–8633.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kovalenko, A. Kobryn, A.E. Gusarov, S. Lyubimova, O. Liu, X. Blinov, N. and Yoshida, M., 2012 Molecular theory of solvation for supramolecules and soft matter structures: Application to ligand binding, ion channels, and oligomeric polyelectrolyte gelators Soft Matter 8 1508–1520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lage, M.R. Stoyanov, S.R. Carneiro, J.W.M. Dabros, T. and Kovalenko, A., 2015 Adsorption of bitumen model compounds on kaolinite in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide solvents: A study by periodic density functional and molecular theory of solvation Energy & Fuels 29 2853–2863.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levesque, M. Marry, V. Rotenberg, B. Jeanmairet, G. Vuilleumier, R. and Borgis, D., 2012 Solvation of complex surfaces via molecular density functional theory Journal of Chemical Physics 137 224107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, X. He, L. Wu, G. Sun, W. Li, H. and Sui, H., 2012 Operational parameters, evaluation methods, and fundamental mechanisms: Aspects of nonaqueous extraction of bitumen from oil sands Energy & Fuels 26 3553–3563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, F. Stoyanov, S. R. and Xu, Y., 2017 Recent advances in non-aqueous extraction of bitumen from mineable oil sands: A review Organic Processes Research & Development 21 492–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masliyah, J.H. Czarnecki, J. and Xu, Z., 2011 Handbook On Theory and Practice of Bitumen Recovery from Athabasca Oil Sands, Volume I: Theoretical basis Canada Kingsley Knowledge Publishing.Google Scholar
Moralez, J.G. Raez, J. Yamazaki, T. Motkuri, R.K. Kovalenko, A. and Fenniri, H., 2005 Helical rosette nanotubes with tunable stability and hierarchy Journal of the American Chemical Society 127 8307–8309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ni, X. and Choi, P., 2012 Wetting behavior of nanoscale thin films of selected organic compounds and water on model basal surfaces of kaolinite Journal of Physical Chemistry C 116 26275–26283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nikakhtari, H. Vagi, L. Choi, P. Liu, Q. and Gray, M.R., 2013 Solvent screening for non-aqueous extraction of Alberta oil sands Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 91 1153–1160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nikakhtari, H. Pal, K. Wolf, S. Choi, P. Liu, Q. and Gray, M.R., 2016 Solvent removal from cyclohexane-extracted oil sands gangue Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 94 408–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Osacky, M. Geramian, M. Ivey, D.G. Liu, Q. and Etsell, T.H., 2015 Influence of nonswelling clay minerals (illite, kaolinite, and chlorite) on nonaqueous solvent extraction of bitumen Energy & Fuels 29 4150–4159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Painter, P. Williams, P. and Mannebach, E., 2010 Recovery of bitumen from oil or tar sands using ionic liquids Energy & Fuels 24 1094–1098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pal, K. Branco, L.P.N. Heintz, A. Choi, P. Liu, Q. Seidl, P.R. and Gray, M.R., 2015 Performance of solvent mixtures for non-aqueous extraction of Alberta oil sands Energy & Fuels 29 2261–2267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palmer, D.S. Frolov, A.I. Ratkova, E.L. and Fedorov, M.V., 2010 Towards a universal method for calculating hydration free energies: A 3d reference interaction site model with partial molar volume correction Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 22 492101.Google ScholarPubMed
Perkyns, J.S. and Pettitt, B.M., 1992a A dielectrically consistent interaction site theory for solvent-electrolyte mixtures Chemical Physics Letters 190 626–630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perkyns, J.S. and Pettitt, B.M., 1992b Site-site theory for finite concentration saline solutions Journal of Chemical Physics 97 7656–7666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rudyk, S. Husain, S. and Spirov, P., 2013 Supercritical extraction of crude oil by methanol- and ethanol-modified carbon dioxide Journal of Supercritical Fluids 78 63–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutkai, G. and Kristóf, T., 2008 Molecular simulation study of intercalation of small molecules in kaolinite Chemical Physics Letters 462 269–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silveira, R.L. Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. Skaf, M.S. and Kovalenko, A., 2013 Plant biomass recalcitrance: Effect of hemicellulose composition on nanoscale forces that control cell wall strength Journal of the American Chemical Society 135 19048–19051.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silveira, R.L. Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. Skaf, M.S. and Kovalenko, A., 2015 Supramolecular interactions in secondary plant cell walls: Effect of lignin chemical composition revealed with the molecular theory of solvation Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 6 206–211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silveira, R.L. Stoyanov, S.R. Kovalenko, A. and Skaf, M.S., 2016 Cellulose aggregation under hydrothermal pretreatment conditions Biomacromolecules 17 2582–2590.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sparks, B.D. Kotlyar, L.S. O’Carroll, J.B. and Chung, K.H., 2003 Athabasca oil sands: Effect of organic coated solids on bitumen recovery and quality Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 39 417–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. and Kovalenko, A., 2008 Multiscale modelling of asphaltene disaggregation Molecular Simulations 34 953–960.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoyanov, S.R. Gusarov, S. Kovalenko, A., Meunier, M., 2011 Multiscale modeling of the adsorption interaction between model bitumen compounds and zeolite nanoparticles in gas and liquid phase Industrial Applications of Molecular Simulations Boca Raton, Florida, USA CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Books 203–230.Google Scholar
Tan, X. Fenniri, H. and Gray, M.R., 2009 Water enhances the aggregation of model asphaltenes in solution via hydrogen bonding Energy & Fuels 23 3687–3693.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tan, X. Vagi, L. Liu, Q. Choi, P. and Gray, M.R., 2016 Sorption equilibrium and kinetics for cyclohexane, toluene, and water on Athabasca oil sands solids Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 94 220–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanimura, A. Kovalenko, A. and Hirata, F., 2007 Structure of electrolyte solutions sorbed in carbon nanospaces, studied by the Replica RISM Theory Langmuir 23 1507–1517.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Underwood, T. Erastova, V. and Greenwell, H.C., 2016 Wetting effects and molecular adsorption at hydrated kaolinite clay mineral surfaces Journal of Physical Chemistry C 120 11433–11449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, T. Zhang, C. Zhao, R. Zhu, C. Yang, C. and Liu, C., 2014 Solvent extraction of bitumen from oil sands Energy & Fuels 28 2297–2304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, J.Y. and Dabros, T., 2012 Process for solvent extraction of bitumen from oil sand Energy & Fuels 26 1002–1008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamazaki, T. Blinov, N. Wishart, D. and Kovalenko, A., 2008 Hydration effects on the HET-s prion and amyloid-b fibrillous aggregates, studied with three-dimensional molecular theory of solvation Biophysical Journal 95 4540–4548.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yoshida, K. Yamaguchi, T. Kovalenko, A. and Hirata, F., 2002 Structure of tert-butyl alcohol-water mixtures studied by the RISM theory Journal of Physical Chemistry B 106 5042–5049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar