Application of chitosan-based polymers for EOR

The upstream sector of the petroleum industry significantly impacts the environment, primarily due to the widespread use of fossil-based chemicals in operations such as drilling and EOR. An approach to decrease the negative effects on the environment involves application of green chemicals with functionality comparable to commonly used reagents. This study focuses on the synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of in-house synthesized chitosan salt (S0) and its hydrophobically modified derivatives (HM-chitosans), that contain grafted linear alkyl chains of two lengths (-C5H11 and -C6H13), labeled as S1 and S2. The synthesized polymers were evaluated for their interfacial performance, thickening ability, and adsorption on sandstone rock. It was found that, after grafting alkyl chains, chitosan becomes surface-active and demonstrates thickening ability simultaneously, making it an attractive as potential agent for upstream applications.