An experimental investigation of high-temperature thermochemical conversion of oil shale residues into valuable materials

Abstract

Oil shale residues, a solid waste produced during oil shale mining, extraction, and refining processes, pose a significant challenge to the environment and sustainability. This study aims to develop a thermochemical conversion process to transform oil shale residues into valuable composite materials. Experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of reaction temperature, time, and reactant composition on the reaction behavior and resulting product characteristics. The results demonstrate that mullite-rich composite materials can be prepared at reaction temperatures of around 1300 °C with reaction times of 5 min. Industrial aluminum ash can be used to supplement the aluminum needed for the complete conversion of excess SiO2 in oil shale residue, but it must be thermally treated to eliminate the NaCl content, which hinders mullite formation. Overall, this study offers a viable approach to converting solid waste into valuable resources while simultaneously addressing the environmental concerns associated with oil shale residues.