The Interaction of Talc, Montmorillonite, and Silica Sand with H2O Influences Methane Hydrate Formation

Huang，Ruifang1,2; Zhao，Yusheng2; Ma，Yiming3

2023-09-01

10.3390/en16176174

Energies   Impact Factor & Quartile

1996-1073

Methane hydrates in natural geological settings are commonly distributed within sediments, with a variety of minerals (such as silica sand, talc, and montmorillonite). The mechanisms that control the influence of sediments on methane hydrate formation remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed experiments on methane hydrate formation in pure HO with the addition of 3% sediments (montmorillonite, talc, and silica sand). A large-volume stirred reactor (80 mL) and a small-volume unstirred reactor (20 mL) were used. The results show that montmorillonite and talc severely inhibit methane hydrate formation. For experiments in the stirred reactor with pure HO, normalized gas consumption is 30 (mmol/mol) after 1000 min. In contrast, normalized gas consumption in experiments with the addition of 3% montmorillonite and talc decreases greatly to <5 (mmol/mol) over the same period. The inhibiting effect of montmorillonite and talc is closely associated with the release of cations (Mg, Ca, K, and Na) into fluids, with higher concentrations of cations for slower rates of methane hydrate formation. The interaction of montmorillonite and talc with HO consumes hydrogen ions (H), resulting in alkaline solutions. It was found that alkaline solutions may not be favorable for methane hydrate formation. In contrast, silica sand slightly promotes methane hydrate formation in the unstirred reactor, which may be related to acidic solutions formed during the interaction of silica sand with HO. The phase equilibrium temperatures and pressures of methane hydrate in the presence of 3% montmorillonite, talc, and silica sand are essentially the same as those in pure HO, excluding the thermodynamic effect of minerals. The experiments of this study are important for understanding the formation of massive methane hydrates with low amounts of sediment (e.g., ≤3%). They suggest that methane hydrates may not be highly concentrated in sediments with abundant talc and montmorillonite. The experiments of this study may explain the close association of methane hydrates with silica sand.

methane hydrate montmorillonite silica sand talc

SCI

English

Corresponding

Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou)[K19313901];

Energy & Fuels

Energy & Fuels

WOS:001064072900001

MDPI

2-s2.0-85170554701

Scopus

1.CAS Key Laboratory of Ocean and Marginal Sea Geology,South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Guangzhou,510301,China
2.SUSTech Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
3.School of Environment,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Huang，Ruifang,Zhao，Yusheng,Ma，Yiming. The Interaction of Talc, Montmorillonite, and Silica Sand with H2O Influences Methane Hydrate Formation[J]. Energies,2023,16(17).

Huang，Ruifang,Zhao，Yusheng,&Ma，Yiming.(2023).The Interaction of Talc, Montmorillonite, and Silica Sand with H2O Influences Methane Hydrate Formation.Energies,16(17).

Huang，Ruifang,et al."The Interaction of Talc, Montmorillonite, and Silica Sand with H2O Influences Methane Hydrate Formation".Energies 16.17(2023).