Adsorption efficiency of poly(ethylene glycol)/chitosan/CNT blends for maltene fraction separation.

Poly(ethylene glycol)/chitosan (PEG/CH) hydrogel and its composite containing carbon nanotubes (PEG/CH/CNTs) were prepared using a simple blending method. The effect of the PEG/CH ratio on the water uptake was studied and optimized. And the prepared hydrogels were characterized by XRD, SEM, and FTIR. Also, the ability of each of the prepared hydrogels to adsorb and separate maltene fractions was compared using saturates, aromatics, resins, and asphaltenes (SARA) method. From the results, it was noticed that the adsorption capacity and separation ability of PEG/CH/CNT are better than that of PEG/CH. But the released amount of alkane fractions using these hydrogels is higher than that in the reference (without using hydrogel). This may be attributed to degradation of maltene residue to alkanes and that degradation is better by using PEG/CH adsorbent than PEG/CH/CNT. Although, from a practical point of view, where PEG/CH/CNT hydrogel may be favorable, it has an acceptable ability to adsorb and separate the maltene fractions.