Shale Oil Solvent Extraction of Central Jordan El-Lajjun Oil Shale

Abstract

The extraction of the organic matter (OM) from oil shale (OS) can be achieved by several processing techniques. Normally, these techniques can remove high proportion of the organic material contained in oil shale. In this work, organic solvents extraction experiments were implemented to investigate the effect of various parameters on Jordanian El-Lajjun oil shale extractability. Results indicate that the approximate organic matter content in studied El-Lajjun oil shale is 17.48%, and 75% of OS sample particles diameters are less than 270 μm. The grain size has minor effect on shale oil extraction via organic solvents. Among eleven solvents used, the highest yield is obtained via the tetrahedrofuran (THF), whereas, with the use of solvent mixtures, the highest bitumen yield is obtained through the mixture of THF and toluene. The solvation variability is related to mode of extraction and various physicochemical factors such as extraction temperature, pressure, solvent type and mixing time, which result in different OM yield. The results indicate that the solvent extraction could be potential for shale oil extraction from Jordanian El-Lajjun OS under certain conditions of temperature, pressure and solvent type used.