Chabazite-Clay Composite for Bitumen Upgrading

The Alberta oilsands resource is increasingly recognized as a strategic source for North American energy supply. We synthesized a novel chabazite-clay composite for improved oilsand bitumen upgrading by growing chabazite on kaolin under alkaline conditions. XRD, SEM, TEM, N2 physical adsorption, and XPS surface elemental analysis confirmed that the chabazite-clay composite has a unique exterior surface, accessible to large hydrocarbon molecules, that could moderate bitumen upgrading reaction with high performance contaminant (sulfur, nitrogen, nickel, and vanadium) removal.