University of Texas at San Antonio Associate Professor Esteban Ureña-Benavides will give the lecture "Cellulose Nanocrystal (CNC) Stabilized Pickering Emulsions and Foams and their Application in CO2 Storage" from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 6 in the William Pennington Engineering Building, room 130. 

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are highly effective emulsion stabilizers capable of producing emulsions that are stable for more than 30 months in ambient conditions. This seminar will focus on fundamental aspects of CNC stabilized emulsions and foams, while touching on their use for geological storage of CO2, and other applications. Stable Pickering emulsions were prepared using standard oils and high-pressure CO2 in two different high ionic strength (I) media, American Petroleum Institute (API: I=1.9M) brine and synthetic seawater (SSW; I=0.65M). This seminar will report on the synergistic effects of the CNCs with three surfactants, bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) cocoalkylamine (CAA), dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and octyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (OGP), in their ability to stabilize Pickering emulsions and foams. Moreover, it will report on the effects of a CO2 interface on the transport of CNC through porous media. The formation of CO2 foams stabilized by CNCs increased the viscosity and reduced its mobility in mimicked reservoir condition potentially enhancing storage safety. Moreover, CO2 also increases the transport of CNC through Berea sandstone, yet further improvements are still necessary.