Applications of Nanoparticles in Energy and the Environment: Enhanced Oil Upgrading and Recovery and Cleaning up Energy Effluents

The transition to sustainable, environmentally friendly, scalable, and affordable energy sources has been the hardest challenge in global prosperity and economic growth since the industrial revolution. The assumption that natural resources of energy are infinite, and that the regenerative capacity of the environment can compensate for all human consequences is no longer acceptable. Thus, international development calls for more effective sustainability action plans that influence all organizational aspects of human life from the economic, political, social, and environmental points of view. Based on the prevailing policy settings, the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS) and world energy forecasts establish that the energy outlook calls for key actions focused on achieving the full potential of energy efficiency, preventing leaks from fossil fuel operations, and boosting clean energy innovation. It is also clear that at least up to 2030, oil is projected to remain the fuel with the largest share of the worldwide energy mix, which requires that oil and gas industries take urgent actions to cut climate-damaging emissions and mobilize their processes in line with the global transition. Under these circumstances, nanotechnology has emerged as one of the most promising short-term alternatives. In synchrony, academy, governments, and industry have joined great efforts toward the synthesis, development, and application of promising environmentally friendly and cost-effective nanomaterials on plenty of technological approaches at laboratory, pilot, and field scales. Fortunately, successful, and fast-growing outcomes are offering exceptional scenarios in several oil and gas areas. The first part of this chapter is focused on a fundamental analysis of the feasibility, challenges, and prospects of the application and development of nanomaterials into five essential oil energetic perspectives: (1) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, (2) inhibition of formation damage caused by asphaltene deposition, (3) crude oil upgrading by nanocatalyst, (4) nanoparticles as stabilizing foaming agents, and (5) friction reduction. Specifically, there we discussed the theoretical and critical aspects involved in the synthesis, formulation, characterization, application, and scaling of nanoparticle technologies. Additionally, the relevance of EOR as a revolutionary method was highlighted, considering that it is the only profitable large-scale technique available to contribute to the decarbonization goals of emission-intensive industries. In parallel, governments over the world have also led actions aimed at the dissemination of technology-based environmental regulations to consolidate industrial competitiveness, while achieving deep reductions in effluent emissions. Accordingly, national effluent guidelines have been established with strict regulatory standards for industrial wastewater; essentially, these attempts have been devoted to the development of control technologies by setting numeric limitations for specific pollutants and systematic treatments in diverse operational stages. Classically, biological, physical, and chemical treatment processes (i.e., adsorption, oxidation, reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, and activated sludge) have been explored to handle the wastewater generated from energy effluents. Unfortunately, most of these processes are not adequate to get rid of complex and intricate polluted water that contains surfactants, various industrial additives, and abundant chemicals. Currently, researchers broadly study nanotechnology, as it provides potential advantages that include low cost, re-use, and high proficiency in removing and recovering wide ranges of pollutants. In this respect, the second part of this chapter addresses the changes and cyclic economy from environmental perspectives by focusing on the application of nanoparticle technology in the treatment of energy effluents, such as (1) produced water generated from steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) processes; (2) oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT), and (3) crude oil spills. Based on the synergy between energetic and environmental perspectives, the final aim of this chapter is to provide a thorough understanding of the state-of-the-art of oil exploitation and production processes and the integration of sustainable and environmentally clean nanotechnological approaches, starting from fundamental backgrounds up to process optimization. The chapter also highlights the use of different families of sustainable and green nanoparticles developed by Nassar's Group at the University of Calgary as feasible alternatives and emerging technologies to overcome the issues associated with energy sectors.