ABSTRACT
Clay minerals and organic matter typically coexist in classic rocks because of their high susceptibility to temperature changes, which control related mineral conversions, and organic maturity, clay minerals, and organic matter are used as a tool to identify potential sites of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion. Clay minerals bear signature to hydrocarbon generation, accumulation, and migration in the geological environment. In several reservoirs, the spontaneous binding of organic matter to internal surface areas of shale has characterized the presence of hydrocarbon, while changes in the ordering of illite/smectite (I/S) are especially useful for studying the production of hydrocarbons because the temperatures for the change from random to ordered I/S are often the same as those for the start of oil production at peak. This chapter in this stride shows how the functional characteristics of clay mineral pose adsorptive phenomena that alter the flow dynamics of different hydrocarbon fractions, based on valency and selectivity. This characteristic also extends to gas storage in clay-rich sediment, especially for carbon storage and secondary oil recovery. Prominent preference is observed in illite uptake of CO2 compared to other clay minerals like montmorillonite and illite-smectite mixed layer. This chapter also reviews the application of various functional clay minerals for the treatment and removal of hydrocarbon, including phenolic compounds, benzene/toluene, and heavy metals.
