Recoverable and recyclable gas hydrate inhibitors based on magnetic nanoparticle-decorated metal–organic frameworks

In the oil and gas industries, the development of gas hydrate inhibitors is one of the most critical issues to prevent hydrate formation for flow assurance in pipelines. Low-dosage and recoverable/recyclable hydrate inhibitors are very important environmentally and economically. Herein, we propose a new class of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) based on magnetic nanoparticle (NP)-decorated metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). As a KHI candidate, UiO-66 derivatives bearing different functional groups were examined, and UiO-66-NH₂ showed superior performance with low dosage (1 wt%) in terms of the onset temperature of CH₄ hydrate formation. To realize recoverability, magnetic Fe₃O₄ NPs were adopted to produce a core–shell-type composite, Fe₃O₄@UiO-66-NH₂. This core–shell inhibitor was successfully recovered and reused, exhibiting a comparable performance to fresh UiO-66-NH₂. This first example of a MOF as a KHI will contribute toward a new era of recoverable gas hydrate inhibitors.