Experimental study of surfactant retention on Kaolinite clay

We measured equilibrium surfactant retention on kaolinite clay for a large array of surfactants. We demonstrate that the mass balance measurements we used are a rapid way to screen surfactants in terms of their potential to be used in enhanced oil recovery applications. Surfactant classes investigated include: alkyl (aryl) sulfonates, ethylene oxide-propylene oxide copolymers, ethoxylated alkylphenols, alkyl polyglucosides, sorbitan ester ethoxylates, alkyl alcohol propoxylated sulfate sodium salts, gemini surfactants, sulfosuccinates and organo silicone-ethylene oxide-propylene oxide terpolymers. We identified several surfactants which had zero retention under the test conditions and which may therefore be suitable as enhanced oil recovery chemicals in surfactant flooding schemes. We discuss surfactant retention mechanisms on kaolinite clay and analyze surfactant structure-retention relationships for several surfactant classes.