Here we report a phenomenon of metal-organics nano-porous trapping that occurs via intercalation of high-molecular components of oil disperse system. Metal-organics, particularly porphyrines that are part of asphaltenes and resins may replace water molecules in nano-porous while intercalating in formation or substrate material - whatever it is clay, minerals or high porosity substrate. Such processes are naturally occurs in oil sands, specifically in so called poor grade oil sand ore that has relatively low mass concentration of bitumen. Mass concentration of trapped metal-organics strongly depends on surface characteristics, porosity and volume of nano-porous material. It may happen that practically all metal-organics such as vanadyl porphyrine contained asphaltenes are trapped in nano-porous. Therefore nano-porous metal trapping provides three benefits at once: first, it makes crude oil or bitumen practically vanadium and other metals free. Second, crude oil or bitumen after such asphaltene intercalation may contain much more of lighter fractions of carbohydrates and much less asphaltenes and resins then initial crude or bitumen. Third, nano-porous materials were metal-organics have been trapped is highly enriched ore for mining of V, Re, Mo, Ni etc metals.

Date Published: 27 September 2012
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8459, Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials XI, 845912 (27 September 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.2000312

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8459:
Physical Chemistry of Interfaces and Nanomaterials XI
Jenny Clark; Carlos Silva, Editor(s)