Oilsands are suspended fine solids in bitumen in which asphaltenes become adsorbed on the surfaces of these particles, reducing the quality of the oil and hence generating higher costs for the oil industry. Since some polymers containing specific functional groups are able to interact with asphaltenes, it can be expected that these kinds of polymers are able to reduce the amount of asphaltene adsorbed. In this work, the performance of three (co)polymers, with different molar ratios of cardanol and styrene was evaluated in the adsorption process of a model system (pentane insoluble asphaltenes—C5I in kaolinite) monitored by ultraviolet–visible spectrometry. Kaolinite and asphaltene were characterized by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and the wettability of these samples was measured with a goniometer, before and after the adsorption process. The increase in polymer concentration (from 0.025 to 0.2%w/v) reduced the amount of adsorbed asphaltenes on kaolinite. Polycardanol homopolymer presented the best performance, indicating the important role of the hydroxyl group and pendent hydrocarbon chain on the adsorption of asphaltenes on kaolinite. The results evidence the potential of polycardanol, obtained from a renewable source, in the extraction process of bitumen from oil sand.

中文翻译：

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腰果酚基聚合物还原吸附在高岭石上的沥青质

油砂是悬浮在沥青中的细小固体，其中沥青质吸附在这些颗粒的表面，降低了油的质量，从而为石油工业带来了更高的成本。由于一些含有特定官能团的聚合物能够与沥青质相互作用，因此可以预期这些聚合物能够减少沥青质的吸附量。在这项工作中，通过紫外-可见光谱法监测模型系统（戊烷不溶性沥青质 - 高岭石中的 C5I）的吸附过程，评估了三种具有不同腰果酚和苯乙烯摩尔比的（共）聚合物的性能。高岭石和沥青质通过扫描电子显微镜和能量色散 X 射线光谱仪进行表征，这些样品的润湿性用测角仪测量，吸附过程前后。聚合物浓度的增加（从 0.025 到 0.2%w/v）减少了吸附在高岭石上的沥青质的量。聚腰果酚均聚物表现出最好的性能，表明羟基和悬垂烃链对沥青质在高岭石上的吸附具有重要作用。结果证明了从可再生资源中获得的聚腰果酚在从油砂中提取沥青的潜力。