Interfacial self-propagation of oleophilic vaterite in crude oil emulsion and its application for reinforcing polyethylene

Abstract Non-nature mineral vaterite with lipophilicity are generated in the crude oil migration process, which adversely affects the oil recovery and causes environmental pollution. In this work, a simulated interfacial self-propagating strategy has been designed to obtain quasi hydrophobic and oleophilic vaterite crystals by mixing heavy alkyl-benzene sulfonate (HABS)/Na2CO3/crude-oil emulsion and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM)/CaCl2/crude-oil emulsion. Oleophilic vaterite are produced through ions migration and self-assembly of nanocrystals at the oil/water interfaces. Monodispersed vaterite spheres were achieved with an average diameter of 2.4 μm, a water contact angle of 88.5°, and a kerosene contact angle of 4.5°. Due to the oleophilic surface, the vaterite has a good compatibility with polyethylene, which exerts an essential role in improving the mechanical properties of polyethylene. This finding enriches the understanding of CaCO3 mineralization in oilfield, and provides new strategy not only for waste-derived application of the vaterite scales but also for organic-inorganic composites manufacturing.