Repurposing Oil and Gas Reservoirs for Blue Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen is critical to achieving the NetZero Target set by the UK government in 2050. There have been concerted efforts to produce more hydrogen from renewable sources (green hydrogen) to reduce the impact on the environment. The arguments have been that hydrogen produced from hydrocarbon sources contribute largely to CO 2 emission in the atmosphere causing global warming. While this is true, the reality however is that the increasing demand projections for hydrogen have not been met by green hydrogen. At present, nearly all industrial hydrogen are produced from hydrocarbon sources (Muradov 2017). CO 2emission is a major by-product of blue hydrogen production. However, there is a need to reverse engineer the hydrogen process from hydrocarbons, explore hydrogen production directly from the reservoir and retain the accompanying CO 2from being released into the surface. Using a depleted reservoir as feedstock, one method of doing this is by in-situ hydrogen production through thermal combustion of the hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Valorisation of Bagasse Cane by-Product: Effect of Cellulosic Fibers and Coupling Agent on Thermal, Mechanical and Rheological Behaviours of Reinforced Polypropylene

Recently more attentions are growing every day towards the valorisation of industrial by-product especially those generated through agriculture and food industries, as the demands of bio-based resources for the necessary transition from fossil hydrocarbon sources to natural based products are increasing. This paper focuses on the potential effect of chemical treatments and modification as well as fibers loading on the thermal, mechanical, and rheological behaviour of reinforced Polypropylene (PP). During this work, fibers were prepared using alkali and bleaching treatments and then characterized using different analysis such SEM, X-ray, FT-IR and TGA/DTG. The composite materials were elaborated using twin-screw extrusion followed by injection molding by mixing PP with 5 to 10 Wt.% of raw bagasse cane (RBC), alkali bagasse cane (ABC) and bleached cellulose microfibers (BCM) as well as cellulose microfibers with Styrene-(ethylene-butene)-styrene three-block co-polymer grafted with maleic anhydride (SEBS-g-MA) as coupling agent. The result achieved from this study shows that the use of different type of fibers led to significant decrease in thermal degradation of PP. The mechanical results show a significant improvement in Yung’s modulus, tensile strength and hardness of the reinforced PP compared to neat PP. However, a remarkable decrease was obtained in elongation at break and toughness for all reinforced composites compared to neat PP. Besides, higher and low torsion modulus was obtained for PP reinforced with BCM and SEBS-g-MA-BCM, respectively.Statement of Novelty: This study aims to valorise bagasse sugar cane by-product as a lignocellulosic source for the isolation of cellulose fibers. Innovative composite materials were prepared based on polypropylene.

Molecular Markers of Biogenic and Oil-Derived Hydrocarbons in Deep-Sea Sediments Following the Deepwater Horizon Spill

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS), the formation of an unexpected and extended sedimentation event of oil-associated marine snow (MOSSFA: Marine Oil Snow Sedimentation and Flocculent Accumulation) demonstrated the importance of biology on the fate of contaminants in the oceans. We used a wide range of compound-specific data (aliphatics, hopanes, steranes, triaromatic steroids, polycyclic aromatics) to chemically characterize the MOSSFA event containing abundant and multiple hydrocarbon sources (e.g., oil residues and phytoplankton). Sediment samples were collected in 2010–2011 (ERMA-NRDA programs: Environmental Response Management Application – Natural Resource Damage Assessment) and 2018 (REDIRECT project: Resuspension, Redistribution and Deposition of Deepwater Horizon recalcitrant hydrocarbons to offshore depocenter) in the northern Gulf of Mexico to assess the role of biogenic and chemical processes on the fate of oil residues in sediments. The chemical data revealed the deposition of the different hydrocarbon mixtures observed in the water column during the DWHOS (e.g., oil slicks, submerged-plumes), defining the chemical signature of MOSSFA relative to where it originated in the water column and its fate in deep-sea sediments. MOSSFA from surface waters covered 90% of the deep-sea area studied and deposited 32% of the total oil residues observed in deep-sea areas after the DWHOS while MOSSFA originated at depth from the submerged plumes covered only 9% of the deep-sea area studied and was responsible for 15% of the total deposition of oil residues. In contrast, MOSSFA originated at depth from the water column covered only 1% of the deep-sea area studied (mostly in close proximity of the DWH wellhead) but was responsible for 53% of the total deposition of oil residues observed after the spill in this area. This study describes, for the first time, a multi-chemical method for the identification of biogenic and oil-derived inputs to deep-sea sediments, critical for improving our understanding of carbon inputs and storage at depth in open ocean systems.

Thermodynamic and Kinetic Considerations Regarding the Prospects for a Dual-Purpose Hydrogen Extraction and Separation Membrane

Extraction of hydrogen from hydrocarbons is a logical intermediate-term solution for the escalating worldwide demand for hydrogen. This work explores the possibility of using a single membrane to accomplish both the catalytic dehydrogenation and physical separation of hydrogen gas as a possible way to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production from hydrocarbon sources. The present analysis shows that regions of pressure/temperature space exist for which the overall process is thermodynamically spontaneous (ΔG < 0). Each step in the process is based on known physics. The rate of hydrogen production is likely to be controlled by the barrier to hydrogen abstraction, with the density of H-binding sites also playing a role. A critical materials issue will be the strength of the oxide/metal interface.

Prediction of Hydrocarbon Sources in The Walio Area, Salawati Basin, West Papua, Indonesia

Substantial seismic and well data have been gathered and used for the exploration and exploitation of the Salawati Basin since the 1970s. The interpretation of these data and implementation of findings resulted into several discoveries and producing fields associated with the Tertiary petroleum system of Klasafet-Kais, particularly in the Walio Area. The presence of pre-Tertiary petroleum systems remain speculative to date although numerous pre-Tertiary structural and stratigraphic traps can be defined, and hypothetical sourcing can be inferred to origin from shales of the Permo-Triassic Aifam Group and the Late Jurassic – Late Cretaceous Kembelangan Formation. Yet the actual hydrocarbon charging of those traps has not been proven. Surface geochemical surveys were conducted in the Walio Area with the objective to characterize the origin of hydrocarbons of the area and possibly uncover the presence of a pre-Tertiary source. Pre-Tertiary sediments are encountered in three exploration wells of the Walio Area and pre-Tertiary traps were defined by the interpretation of 3D seismic. Surface geochemical surveys were conducted in the Walio Area to map the distribution of oil and gas microseeps and try to determine their source. Whole oil chromatography and isotope & biomarker analysis were also performed on Kais reservoired oil samples to determine source rock lithology, depositional environment, and age. Hydrocarbon analysis of one-meter-deep soil samples revealed the distribution of volatile and liquid hydrocarbon microseeps in the survey area. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) and Rock-Eval Pyrolysis measurement was carried out to outcrop samples of the Klasafet Fm., Kembelangan Fm., Tipuma Fm., and Aifat Fm. The outcrop samples resulted in lean TOC, and produced very low S2 values to which the Tmax cannot be estimated. Hydrocarbon microseeps were found occurring over and off existing fields and pre-Tertiary traps. Both light oil microseeps (35° API) and heavy oil microseeps (14° API) were identified over fresh and biodegraded crude oil Kais reservoirs, respectively in the Walio Area. Microseeps with lighter hydrocarbon compositions (e.g. C5/C17 ratio) may reflect leakage from deeper pre-Tertiary sources.