Abstract
Immature type III organic matter from the Mahakam delta (Indonesia) was heated for 24 hr from 250 to 400°C in a closed and very confined medium, under pressures of 500 and 1000 bars with and without water. Comparative experiments were performed in an open-pyrolysis system. Likewise, natural samples from the same provenance and of increasing maturity were selected as a natural reference series. Hydrocarbons released naturally and artificially were studied by liquid chromatography fractionation and capillary gas chromatography. When artificial maturation is performed with confined pyrolysis, most of the quantitative and qualitative aspects examined show a fair simulation of natural evolution, even though some discrepancies might possibly be detected when molecular aspects are examined. On the other hand, the use of open-system pyrolysis does not at all duplicate the natural behavior. Comparison with the existing literature shows that the method described here seems to lead to the most complete results. We concluded that the role of confinement seems to be essential, the role of water seems to be surbordinate, and the role of increasing external pressure to be nil, at least in the pressure range investigated.
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