Development and performance assessment of natural nanocatalysts for thermocatalytic enhanced oil recovery
Dabiri M.-S. Hemmati-Sarapardeh A. Riazi M. Ranjbar M. Schaffie M.
1 March 2026Elsevier Ltd
Fuel
2026#407
Nanocatalysts play a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of in situ combustion (ISC) processes by reducing the activation energy and promoting thermal decomposition. However, few studies have focused on the comparative evaluation of nanocatalysts across different crude oils. In this study, four different nanocatalysts, namely, pyrite (FeS2), carbon nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized alumina (Al2O3), and commercial silica (SiO2), were used to improve the pyrolysis behavior during the ISC of heavy crude oil. The pyrite and carbon NPs, which were prepared from industrial waste materials, contain multiple metallic elements and exhibit a relatively low specific surface area. Their catalytic activity may be attributed to impurities or potential synergistic effects, although this remains a hypothesis. Two Iranian crude oil samples, labeled OA and OM, with densities of 0.935 and 0.934 g/cm3, respectively, were selected for evaluation. The nanocatalysts were characterized using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH), and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). To evaluate the performance of the nanocatalysts, thermogravimetric analysis and derivative thermogravimetry (TGA-DTG) were performed on the crude oil samples and their mixtures with the nanocatalyst. The results of this study indicate that nanopyrite effectively reduces the decomposition temperatures of both OA and OM crude oils, accelerating and enhancing the pyrolysis process. It lowered the main maximum pyrolysis temperature of OA by approximately 64 °C and that of OM by approximately 22 °C. The findings of this study reveal the actantial of natural metallic nanocatalysts for in situ heavy crude oil upgrading. Moreover, pyrite exhibited the highest catalytic activity despite its low BET surface area (1.03 m2/g), highlighting the crucial role of chemical composition over surface area in determining catalytic performance.
Catalytic upgrading , In-situ combustion , Nanocatalyst , Pyrolysis , Thermal cracking
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Department of Petroleum Engineering, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, China
Department of Petroleum Engineering, School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Mineral Industries Research Center, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Department of Petroleum Engineering
State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting
Department of Petroleum Engineering
Mineral Industries Research Center
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