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This study investigates Basil Seed Gum (BSG), a naturally derived biopolymer, for chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) under high-temperature/high-salinity conditions. BSG, extracted from Ocimum basilicum L., was benchmarked against partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), xanthan gum (XGU), and guar gum (GGU) via rheological, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), adsorption, and core flooding tests. Rheological results confirmed pronounced shear-thinning behavior, viscosity retention up to 100 °C, and tolerance to 100,000 ppm NaCl, with performance comparable to XGU and superior to HPAM and GGU. Adsorption experiments on sandstone indicated lower maximum adsorption for BSG (~ 0.80 mg/g) compared to HPAM (> 1.40 mg/g), especially at high salinity. Modeling showed the Redlich-Peterson isotherm provided the best fit (R² = 0.9958), indicating mixed adsorption mechanisms. In core flooding, seawater injection recovered 30.2% of OOIP, with water breakthrough at 0.50 PV. Subsequent BSG polymer flooding increased recovery to 58%, and chase brine raised final recovery to 72.1%, achieving an incremental oil recovery of 41.9% over seawater flooding alone. Findings suggest BSG offers a combination of thermal/salinity stability, low rock adsorption, and notable recovery gains, supporting its suitability as a natural polymer alternative in CEOR projects for challenging reservoirs.
Yarahmadi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.