Spotlight on kinetic and equilibrium adsorption of a new surfactant onto sandstone minerals: A comparative study

• Kinetics and equilibrium adsorption of a novel surfactant on sandstone was studied.
• Jovanovic model well describes the equilibrium adsorption data.
• Adsorption data are well represented by the pseudo-second order kinetic model.
• Studied surfactant can decrease the crude oil/water IFT to low values.

This paper presents a state of the art review of adsorption models for a new plant-based surfactant adsorption onto sandstone minerals. The adsorption data at both kinetic and equilibrium modes were obtained from batch experiments. Four adsorption kinetic models, five two-parameter, and six three-parameter equilibrium models were used for interpretation of the obtained data. Among the two and three-parameter isotherm models applied, the Jovanovic and the Khan isotherms showed the best fit, respectively. And the pseudo-second order model presented a better fit than other kinetic models. Finally, a computer-based modeling approach was developed and used for predicting the kinetics of adsorption, which exhibited a reliable match with the experimental data. The results of this work help toward better understanding the adsorption behavior of plant-based surfactants for potential applications in EOR processes.