Effect of Nanocellulose on Water-Oil Interfacial Tension

Abstract

Interfacial tension is an important parameter in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The interaction between water and oil phase is a determinant factor of the interfacial tension. The interfacial tension changes if another component is added to the water-oil system. This study investigates the effect of adding nanocellulose to the water-oil system. To determine the molecular interactions that occur, a molecular dynamics simulation was carried out using the GROMACS-2018 software. The simulation shows that addition of nanocellulose slightly decreases the water-oil interface tension. Further, based on the density profile, nanocellulose may act as an emulsifier due to its geometric position in the water-oil interface. This is similar to asphaltene, which is a natural emulsifier in crude oil. The nanocellulose performs better in the presence of 1% NaCl as compared to pure water.