Electrospinning Asphaltenes With Low-Cost Polymers: Towards High-Value Carbon Materials

As a large exporter of oil, Canada produces millions of barrels each day. The heaviest component of crude oil contains a class of molecules called asphaltenes. Asphaltenes are polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a varying degree of alkyl chains and heteroatoms. These molecules are known to cause several issues with oil production and transportation, as they tend to aggregate and adsorb onto surfaces. This results in reduced oil production, the need for diluents, and increased cost to clean and replace equipment. While asphaltenes are used in asphalt, they represent a massive waste byproduct that if removed at the source could clean our oil sector and be used as building blocks for new carbon-based materials and technology. To this end, this research focuses on the valorization of asphaltenes en route to high-value carbon nanomaterials. A technique known as electrospinning is used to create asphaltene-containing nanofibers that could then be pyrolyzed to produce carbon-based fibers. Unfortunately, p-stacking is a challenge with electrospinning asphaltene and therefore low-cost polymer additives (e.g. lignin) have been explored to disrupt aggregation and improve the spinnability of asphaltene. The combination of asphaltene/polyvinylalcohol/lignin (MassRatio) proved most successful, and the attempt leading to this composition and the resulting properties of the nanofibers is discussed herein.