Synthesis of Cocos nucifera derived surfactant and its application in growth kinetics of methane gas hydrates for energy storage and transportation

Abstract

The impact of surfactants on the formation kinetics and storage of gaseous fuels such as methane, propane, and hydrogen in the form of gas hydrates is well known. However, the excess generation of stable, hard, and toxic foam is one of the significant operational challenges (for the scale-up of gas hydrate processes) associated with conventional surfactants. This study is an attempt to fulfill the quest for mild, inexpensive, biocompatible, and efficient hydrate former required to develop a sustainable gas hydrate process. The present investigation reports the synthesis and application of Cocosnucifera-derived surfactant (CDS). The synthesized surfactant CDS may help in filling the gap by opening new opportunities in the storage and transport of natural gas in the form of gas hydrates. Here, the synthesis of CDS was followed by its characterization by H1 NMR, C13 NMR, FTIR (ATR), µ-DSC/TGA, and XRD, in addition to property evaluation such as foam stability, wettability, recovery, and recyclability. The comparative methane gas hydrate investigations on sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and CDS were launched to determine their gas uptake behavior and water conversion efficiencies. Moreover, the morphology study was conducted to determine the real-time gas hydrate growth patterns and behavior to predict its correlation with the gas uptake data and mass transfer limitations. Overall, CDS surfactant showed competitive growth of the methane gas hydrates and proved a promising substitute for kinetic promotion. Additionally, the gas storage and transportation studies were conducted using laboratory-developed pellets under controlled conditions, and a process flow diagram based on the gas hydrate technology was demonstrated.