Molecular simulations of competitive adsorption of carbon dioxide – methane mixture on illitic clay surfaces

Abstract

Molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation studies were carried out to investigate adsorption behavior of carbon dioxide and methane mixtures on illitic clay surfaces under dry conditions. Various compositions of the mixtures and distributions of isomorphic substitutions in clay layers were chosen to explore competitive adsorption depending on component concentration and charge localization. The simulations show that carbon dioxide is preferentially sorbed on the illitic surface and is capable to promote methane desorption. Density distributions of the molecular species in pore space reveal formation of multilayers on the clay surfaces at elevated pressures. Mixed adsorption isotherms were compared with adsorption isotherms of pure compounds and thermodynamic quantities were reported to characterize the interaction of the carbon dioxide and methane with the clay surface.