Green synthesis of ZSM-5 using silica fume and catalytic co-cracking of lignin and plastics for production of monocyclic aromatics

ZSM-5 with hierarchical pore structure was synthesized by a simple two-step hydrothermal crystallization from silica fume without using any organic ammonium templates.The synthesized ZSM-5 were oval shaped particles with a particle size about 2.0 μm and weak acid-dominated with proper Brønsted(B)and Lewis(L)acid sites.The ZSM-5 was used for catalytic co-cracking of n-octane and guaiacol,lowdensity polyethylene(LDPE)and alkali lignin(AL)to enhance the production of benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene and xylene(BTEX).The most significant synergistic effect occurred at n-octane/guaiacol at 1:1 and LDPE/AL at 1:3,under the condition,the achieved BTEX selectivity were 24%and 33%(mass)higher than the calculated values(weighted average).The highest BTEX selectivity reached 88.5%,which was 3.7%and 54.2%higher than those from individual cracking LDPE and AL.The synthesized ZSM-5 exhibited superior catalytic performance compared to the commercial ZSM-5,indicating potential application prospect.

Multi-spherical interactions and mechanisms of hydrocarbon enrichment in the Southeast Asian archipelagic tectonic system

Global cooling began since 50 Ma,but a warm climate was maintained in the archipelagic tectonic system in Southeast Asia where a wealth of Cenozoic oil and gas resources was formed and preserved.From the perspective of Earth system,this study analyzes Cenozoic tectonic activities,climatic and environmental evolution,and petroleum enrichment in Southeast Asia,and provides the following insights:(1)Subduction of oceanic plates and the extension of overlying continental lithosphere resulted in widespread volcanic eruptions as well as the formation of rift basins and shallow marine shelves,leading to complex interactions between deep tectonic processes and Earth’s surface including mountains,basins,and seas.(2)Microcontinental accretion and prolonged stay in equatorial low-latitude regions have changed trade winds into monsoons,altered ocean current pathways and flow rates,and profoundly affected rainfall and climate.(3)The archipelagic tectonic system,coupled with a hot and rainy climate,fostered tropical rainforests,mangroves,and phytoplankton,providing abundant organic matter and promoting the development of petroleum resources.(4)Combinations of rift basin development and marine transgression and regression led to an effective superposition of source-reservoir-seal combinations from multiplepetroleum systems.Rapid deep burial of organic matter and high geothermal gradients facilitated the generation and large-scale accumulation of oil and gas.(5)Multi-spherical(such as atmosphere,biosphere,hydrosphere and lithosphere)interactions on the Earth,which resulted from the convergence of multiple tectonic plates,are believed as the primary driver for exceptional enrichments of Cenozoic oil and gas resources in Southeast Asia.These understandings are significant for developing theories of oil and gas enrichment under the guidance of Earth System Science.In order to continue making significant oil and gas exploration discoveries in the deep-layers,deep-waters,and unconventional oil and gas fields of Southeast Asia,attention should be paid to the oil and gas resource effects of the collision between Australia and Sunda blocks and the high-temperature and high-rainfall climate environment,and efforts should be made to develop economic development and CO_(2)sequestration technologies for offshore CO_(2)-rich gas fields.

A novel model of the carbon cycle in the Cambrian ocean

The classic model of the carbon cycle suggests that the extensive burial of ^(12)C-enriched organic carbon leads to a positive carbon isotope(δ^(13)C)excursion(CIE),while massive oxidation of organic carbon results in a negative CIE.However,global events such as the BAsal Cambrian Carbon isotope Excursion(BACE)and the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion(SPICE)are global negative and positive δ^(13)C excursions,respectively,and they also exhibit significant organic carbon burial anomalies,displaying decoupling between carbon isotope anomalies and organic carbon burial.Based on the analyses of the Cambrian carbon cycle and paleoceanographic evolution records from well Tadong2 in the Tarim Basin,we propose a novel model of the carbon cycle in the Cambrian ocean that incorporates oceanic dissolved organic carbon(DOC).Our findings are as follows.(1)The Cambrian ocean maintained substantial DOC reservoirs,which were regulated by ocean currents and paleo-redox conditions and exerted significant influence on the oceanic carbon cycle.(2)The oxidation of the oceanic DOC reservoirs during the early Cambrian led to the BACE and the Asian Phenomenon of the Cambrian petroleum systems,while the expansion of the oceanic DOC reservoirs during the SPICE resulted in a global positive δ^(13)C excursion and the absence of significant organic carbon burial.(3)The deep-basin sedimentary environment in the eastern depression of the Tarim Basin may have fostered the development of organic-rich black shales during the Furongian Series,corresponding to organic carbon burial during the SPICE and representing potential prospects for ultra-deep oil and gas exploration.Future research should focus on the formation mechanism,reserve scale,and influencing factors of the oceanic DOC reservoirs,as well as their resource and environmental effects.It is expected that new breakthroughs will be made in the fields of Earth system science and oil and gas exploration.

Multi-spheric interactions driven differential formation and accumulation of hydrocarbon resources in the North Sea Basin

The North Sea Basin is the most important oil and gas producing area in Europe and the birthplace of many classic petroleum geological theories. From the perspective of multi-spheric interactions in the Earth, this study investigated the riftforeland-rift evolution process of the North Sea Basin, which was controlled by the deep dynamic driving forces of the continental collision orogeny, mantle plume uplift, and intraplate deformation. The North Sea Basin was found to have drifted northward since the Carboniferous and passed through the low-latitude Hadley and the mid-latitude Ferrel cells. Two sets of main hydrocarbon source rocks have formed, the coals and coal measures of the Upper Carboniferous Westphalian and the marine shale of the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation. We propose that the deep processes, tectonic activity, and transgression-climate evolution jointly controlled the types and horizons of the source rocks, reservoirs, and seals in different regions of the North Sea Basin. In the southern North Sea Basin, a Carboniferous-Lower Triassic gas-rich petroleum system was formed,which is characterized by transitional coal measure source rocks, desert aeolian sandstone reservoirs, and evaporite cap rocks. In the northern North Sea Basin, an Upper Triassic-Paleogene oil-rich petroleum system was formed, which is characterized by marine graben-type source rocks, deltaic sandstone and marine limestone reservoirs, and marine tight marl and shale cap rocks.The late tectonic burial and uplift in the North Sea Basin further controlled the processes of oil and gas generation and accumulation, ultimately leading to a differential distribution pattern which is oil rich in the northern part and gas rich in the southern part of the basin. In the future, there is an urgent need to re-examine the mechanisms for the petroleum generation and accumulation in large mature exploration areas(e.g., super basins such as the North Sea) and low exploration areas(e.g., the Okhotsk Sea and Arctic regions) from the perspective of multi-spheric interactions in the Earth in order to provide new theoretical support for increasing the identification of oil and gas reserves globally. The development of artificial intelligence in the petroleum industry should focus on the massive amount of exploration and geological data collected in the North Sea Basin.Through digital geological innovation, carbon neutral comprehensive utilization of oil, gas, and associated resources(e.g.,helium and hydrogen) can be achieved, providing a new paradigm for global oil and gas exploration and development.