In this Perspective, the authors discuss several aspects of materials science challenges in utilizing heavy crude oil with an emphasis on the needs of the Canadian Oil Sands. Foundation principles, recent technological advancements, and unmet needs emphasizing candidate solutions for thermal insulation, membrane-assisted separations, corrosion protection, and midstream bitumen transportation are covered to emphasize the practical and geopolitical difficulties associated with this industry. The work also highlights illustrative materials' technology developments to improve a range of properties including thermal insulation, separation of oil-water emulsions, reduction of damage from spills and corrosion inhibition. Finally, future outlooks for onsite partial upgradation are also described, which could potentially bypass the use of refineries for some fractions, enable access to a broader cross-section of refineries, and enable a new distributed chemical manufacturing paradigm.
Sarbajit Banerjee* et al. Texas A&M University, United States
ACS Omega 2022, 7, 2, 1547-1574