In the Canadian province of Alberta, the oil sands contain a sticky product called bitumen, which is usually burned as fuel or reused as asphalt pavement. Experts thought of turning this substance into a more valuable material like carbon fibers which can be used in making light and durable aircraft and more efficient electric cars.
A New Type of Carbon Nanofiber
Materials engineer Dr. Yasmine Abdin from the University of British Columbia collaborated with other scientists, such as Dr. Frank Ko from the Faculty of Applied Science and Dr. Scott Renneckar from the Faculty of Forestry, to develop a strategy for transforming bitumen into commercial-grade carbon fibers.
To make this possible, the researchers used a simple and cost-effective electrospinning strategy to turn petroleum asphaltene precursors into nanoscale carbon fibers. The first stage includes electrospinning green nanofiber nonwoven mats without exposing them to asphaltene precursors. Then the nano mats are heated at various temperatures to get the most out of their thermostabilization and carbonization conditions.
The extensive mechanical and analytical investigations on the product reveal that the nanofibers have the best tensile properties and good morphology. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs confirmed the recorded thermostabilization and carbonization properties.
The mats also demonstrate good electrical conductivity, making them useful for energy storage applications. Although the asphaltenes are known for their inherent brittleness, the carbonized nanofiber mats showed flexibility and handleability.
Compared to commercial carbon fibers that cost $33 per kilogram, their invention only costs $12 per kilogram. Their proposed solution won the first two stages of the Carbon Fiber Grand Challenge, and the researchers plan to apply for the third phase. Alberta Innovates launched this competition to recover valuable products from oil sands in the province.
Dr. Abdin and her team plan to produce the fibers commercially by 2024. Their work opens new opportunities to utilize asphaltene precursors in high-value materials used in the composite and energy industries. They are hopeful that their innovation can have valuable applications in electric cars by contributing to the improvement of vehicle performance and by increasing the EV adoption rates.
Dr. Abdin states, "Carbon-fiber bodies can compensate for the weight of the typical EV battery pack. Using carbon fibers in the chassis helps the battery stay cool, improving safety and extending the driving range."
About two million cars and other light vehicles are produced annually in Canada. By promoting local carbon fibers, automakers are given a competitive advantage while supporting Canada's mission to reduce carbon emissions.
Bitumen Content of Canadian Oil Sand
Oil sands, sometimes called tar sands, are loose sand deposits composed of a mixture of water, sand, clay, and oil known as bitumen. Because bitumen is very thick at room temperature, it is sometimes called tar sands.
The oil sands in Canada provide the largest deposit of crude oil on Earth and about 75% of total oil reserves in North America. Canada has an estimated 1.75 trillion barrels of oil reserves, about 97% of which is contained within the oil sands.
Although oil sands can be found all over the planet, the Athabasca oil sands extracted in Alberta are water-wet. This means that the bitumen and solid particles are coated with water. Because of this, it is easy to extract bitumen using hot water.
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