Development of Palm Kernel/Nanoparticles Surfactant and Study of Adsorption Behavior, Interfacial Tension Reduction and Wettability Alteration

Nanofluid is a promising technique for crude oil extraction in reservoirs by changing the interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability. This study aims to evaluate the capability of the nanofluid comprising palm kernel bio-surfactant (PS) and SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). The PS incorporated with the SiO2 NPs revealed significant adsorption at various operation conditions. The optimal adsorption parameters of the palm kernel surfactant nanoparticles (PSNP) were found to be 120 minutes contact time, 0.2 %wt SiO2 NPs dosage, 40 oC temperature, pH 9, and 3 % PS concentration. The adsorption isotherms data fitted with the Langmuir isotherm (R-squared value of 0.9). Furthermore, the nanofluid has demonstrated appreciable foam stability due to the good foam morphologies observed. It was found that PSNP nanofluid decreased the IFT of the oil/brine system from 6.22 mN/m to a low level of 1 x 10-2 mN/m. Additionally, the nanofluid changed the wettability to a 10% water-wet state. Consequently, PSNP biosurfactant foam can be utilized in foam flooding enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique.