Abstract
In the present work, the effect of phenol on the supercritical extraction of the organic matter from Tarfaya's oil shale with toluene was evaluated. The experimental results showed clearly that phenol had a significant effect on the yield and the composition of the oils obtained. Moreover, it was shown that phenol was a very efficient modifier for oil shale, giving a good yield of recovery and a suitable maturation of the organic matter. The pitches prepared by mixing phenol and toluene contain more aromatics and have a high char yield at 950 °C compared to those obtained by extraction with supercritical toluene alone.
Highlights
Oil shale has been considered for a long time as a great economic hope for those countries that possess large reserves
In order to study the effect of phenol on the yield and the composition of the oil obtained by supercritical extraction with toluene, two series of experiments were carried out under the conditions described in the experimental part, with increasing volumes of toluene
The following conclusions can be drawn from the present investigation on the effects of phenol addition on oil extraction from Moroccan oil shale by supercritical toluene:
Summary
Oil shale has been considered for a long time as a great economic hope for those countries that possess large reserves. Programs to operate oil shale as an energy source were launched by several countries such as Scotland, Australia, France and China [1,2,3,4]. These programs eventually demonstrated that more research is needed to make the oil produced cost effective and competitive against conventional petroleum. It has been demonstrated that the extraction yield and the quality of oils extracted depend on several parameters (nature of solvent, modifier, temperature, pressure, duration of treatment, heating rate, grain size...)
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