Feasibility of acetylated Icacina trichantha Oliv. tuber starch as viscosity and fluid loss control agents in water-based drilling mud. A comparative assessment with commercial starch

Kennedy I. Ogunwa, International Institute for Toxicology, Environmental & Occupational Health, and Safety Research, DUFUHS, Uburu, NigeriaFollow
Theresa O. Uchechukwu, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, P.M.B. 1010, Abakaliki, NigeriaFollow
Ozioma Achugasim, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Choba, NigeriaFollow
Leo C. Osuji, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, University of Port Harcourt, P.M.B. 5323 Choba, NigeriaFollow
Onyewuchi Akaranta, World bank Africa center of excellence center for oilfield chemical research university of Port Harcourt uniportFollow

Section

Physical Sciences

Abstract

The need for sustainable, non-food drilling fluid additives has prompted the feasibility assessment of acetylated Icacina trichantha tuber starch as a viscosity modifier and fluid loss control agent in water-based muds. Native starch was acetylated to obtain two derivatives (Degree of Substitution DS = 0.38 and 0.68) and characterized using FTIR, swelling power, and physicochemical analyses. Drilling mud performance was assessed through rheology, gel strength, filtration loss, sorptivity, and model fitting. Acetylation improved swelling and reduced gelatinization temperature. The optimal formulation, Mud-ITO-ACS2 (DS = 0.68), exhibited the most favorable performance, combining low plastic viscosity (6 cP vs 9 cP for native), high yield point (57 vs 54 lb/100 ft²), and superior low-shear strength. Filtration loss decreased notably (5 mL vs 9 mL for native and 7 mL for commercial), with lower sorptivity (3.87 vs 5.48 cm/min¹ᐟ²), indicating improved filter cake quality. Gel strength was also enhanced (22/12 vs 20/10 lb/100 ft² at 10 s/10 min). All systems exhibited pseudoplastic behavior, with the Herschel–Bulkley model providing the best fit (R² ≥ 0.996). This study demonstrates the potential, for the first time, of acetylated Icacina trichantha starch as a sustainable non-food starch additive for drilling fluids, although further quantitative assessment is needed to establish its capacity to replace conventional food-based starches

Recommended Citation

Ogunwa, Kennedy I.; Uchechukwu, Theresa O.; Achugasim, Ozioma; Osuji, Leo C.; and Akaranta, Onyewuchi (2026) "Feasibility of acetylated Icacina trichantha Oliv. tuber starch as viscosity and fluid loss control agents in water-based drilling mud. A comparative assessment with commercial starch," Tanzania Journal of Science: Vol. 52: Iss. 3, Article 20.
Available at:https://doi.org/10.65085/2507-7961.2379