The Role and Economics of Nano-Graphene Functionalization in Oil Industry Improvement
Amarachi U. Nkwoada *
Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria
Chijioke M. Amakom
Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria
Emeka E. Oguzie
Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The toxic pollutants released from oil and gas activities typically takes years of clean-up and reclamation. Hence, creating the need for new nano-materials that can function as adsorbents, filter membranes, and coating materials, which offer a molecular level of control in separating relevant pollutant mixtures. The advances in graphene-family and its derivatives has proven its effectiveness to gradually replace conventional filter membranes, coatings, adsorbents, sensors for nano-materials applications in the oilfield. The functionalization of graphene and graphene oxide has enabled such nano-graphene-composite materials to be tailored to meet the new development of coatings, adsorbents, filter membranes and sensors for oil and gas applications with high scalability potentials.
Keywords: Nano-graphene, composite material, graphene oxide, oilfield