The containment of oil spills in porous media using xanthan/aluminum solutions, gelled by gaseous CO2 or by AlCl3 solutions

The gelation in situ of polymers may be a method for temporarily containing organic solvents and other petroleum derived products, which may enter the subsurface. In order to create gels that are neither toxic to humans nor to the ecosystem, we have investigated on the use of the biopolymer xanthan gum with aluminum as a crosslinking agent. Firstly we have considered xanthan/sodium aluminate solutions, which upon preparation are strongly basic and do not gel. The gelation takes place in acid solutions so that Al(III) ions are released, and is instantaneous. Therefore, a special technique must be used for generating the gel structure in situ. The un-gelled solution must be injected and an acid must be added afterwards. We have investigated on the gelling reaction induced by gaseous carbon dioxide, which is an acid gas. The insufflation of CO2 above the solution generates a layer of gel whose thickness progressively increases as CO2 diffuses in the polymer solution. Secondly we have investigated on the use of aluminum chloride as the source of Al(III) ions. Also in this case, due to the full availability of Al(III) ions, the gelling reaction would be instantaneous. Therefore, the solution of AlCl3 must be added on the top of the xanthan solution after its injection. For both gelling systems we have studied both theoretically and experimentally the rate of formation of the gel layer which progressively thickens after the insufflation of CO2 or after the addition of the AlCl3 solution.