Silica-graphene nanohybrid supported MoS2 nanocatalyst for hydrogenation reaction and upgrading heavy oil

Application of nanoparticles in enhanced heavy oil recovery has drawn numerous attentions in the last decade. The nanoparticles can act as carries for catalytic species, e.g., metals for in situ reactions, such as oxidation and hydrogenation, which are efficiently used to improve the heavy oil recovery process. Herein the facile ball-milling method is reported for the synthesis of silica-graphene nanohybrid supported molybdenum disulfide (MOS2) nanocatalyst with different weight percentages of MOS2(silica-graphene/MOS2), which can be used for upgrading heavy crude oil. The morphological analyses show that adding nanohybrids containing graphene sheets in ball-milling process for the synthesis of silica-graphene/MOS2 increases the distance between crystalline plates in MOS(2 )and improves catalytic activity. Hydrogenation reactions of phenanthrene and crude oil were carried out at a total pressure of 60 bar (900 psi), at 200 degrees C. Reaction products were analyzed by a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Furthermore, the effect of the amount of catalyst (10 wt% and 20 wt% of MOS2) loading on the supported in hydrogenation reactions is investigated. The silica-graphene/MOS(2 )containing 10 wt % MOS(2 )can significantly increase the API gravity of crude oil (up to 7.7 degrees) and decrease its viscosity (up to 81%).