Organic Matter Of Oil Shale Research Articles

Maceral and Geochemical Characteristics of Oil Shale 2 from the Huangxian Basin, China

Five samples of Oil Shale 2 from the Huangxian Basin have been analyzed by coal petrographic and geochemical methods in order to study its formation environment. Higher alginite ratios and hopanes in Oil Shale 2 indicate a lower plants and anoxic environment. Two ternary diagrams of “facies diagnostic” macerals and biomarkers were used to interpret the depositional environments of organic matter in Oil Shale 2. In both diagrams, Oil Shale 2 plots in a lower plant zone, and was deposited in a deeper water environment.

Evidence of stability of sedimentary organic matter during bacterial desilicification of an oil shale

Aleksinac oil shale organic matter appeared to remain unchanged, according to elemental, IR, P-GC and P-GC-MS analytical characterization, after exposure to Bacillus circulans-Jordan desilicification for 30 days. These experiments indicate that ?siliceous bacteria? may have potential as an alternative, ?biochemical agent? for the isolation of native kerogen, and justify further efforts toward continuedevaluation of this advantageous process.

Kinetic study of the thermal decomposition of polypropylene, oil shale, and their mixture

The thermal decomposition behavior of polypropylene, oil shale and a 1:3 mixture of the two was investigated in a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) reaction system in an argon atmosphere, with a view to comparing the process of the mixture with those of the individual components. Experiments were conducted at three heating rates of 5, 10, and 15 K min −1, in the temperature range of 30–900°C. The obtained activation energies were 250 kJ kg −1 for polypropylene, 63 kJ kg −1 for the oil shale organic matter, and 242 kJ kg −1 for the mixture. The results indicate that the characteristics of the process depend on the heating rate, and that polypropylene acts as a catalyst in the degradation of oil shale in the mixture.

A comparative study of the composition of biomarkers in SFE and solvent extracts of oil shales

A comparative investigation of the composition of polycyclic biomarkers (steranes and triterpanes) in the extracts from the Paleocene Boltysh oil shale obtained by methanol-modified supercritical carbon dioxide and conventional Soxhlet chloroform extraction was carried out using computerized GC-MS. The extracts are similar in the geochemical parameters calculated on the basis of the stereoisomeric composition of steranes and triterpanes which: (1) are indicative of lacustrine sedimantary organic matter (OM); (2) show the higher plant contribution to the mainly alginitic OM of oil shale; and (3) are characteristic of low-mature OM.

Maceral and geochemical characteristics of coal seam 1 and oil shale 1 in fault-controlled Huangxian Basin, China

Seven samples of coal seam 1 and oil shale 1 from the fault-controlled Hangxiang Basin have been analysed by coal petrographic and geochemical methods. High huminite ratios and high contents of sesquiterpenoids and diterpenoids indicate that coal seam 1 and oil shale 1 are predominantly composed of terrestrial higher plant material. Two ternary diagrams of “facies diagnostic” macerals and biomarkers were used to interpret the depositional environments of organic matter in coal seam 1 and oil shale 1. In both diagrams coal seam 1 is plotted in the forest moor zone, but the top sample of coal seam 1 shows an influence of transgressed sea water. Oil shale 1 is plotted in a transition zone from forest moor to open moor. This indicates an increased abundance of lower plants and algal derived organic matter in oil shale 1 relative to coal seam 1. The boundary faults controlled the sedimentation in Huangxian basin. When the faults ceased to move, the peat of coal seam 1 was formed. When the faults became active again and the basin began to sink, sea water flowed into the swamps at which time oil shale 1 was deposited.

Secondary Pyrolysis of the Products of the Thermal Destruction of High-Sulfur Oil Shale

Secondary pyrolysis of products of Israeli oil shale processing was studied in a two-stage bench-scale unit. The gas and oil vapors generated from the primary pyrolysis were sent to the converter for the secondary pyrolysis at temperatures of 650−820 °C. The oil yield on kerogen decreased from 35.3% at the pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C to 15.4% at 820 °C. The gas yield increased in the same temperature range from 10.7 to 25.5%. The yields of hydrogen, methane, ethylene, and carbon monoxide increased with temperature, whereas yields of alkanes decreased. The secondary pyrolysis enables us to simplify substantially the composition of the primary shale oil. The higher the severity of the conversion, the higher the yield of the simplest homologuesthiophene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, anthracene, thionaphthene, and dibenzothiopheneand the lower the yield of alkyl derivativestoluene, methylthiophenes, styrene, etc. Maximal content of methyl and dimethyl derivatives was observed at a temperature of 730 °C. The total thiophenes yield may be as high as 6.4% on oil shale organic matter, and this can be of practical interest because thiophenes are an important source for the production of light- and photoemitting polymers, materials for semiconductors, electrochemical cells, films, sensors, and other high-tech devices.

97/01529 Investigation of the origin of Aleksinac oil shale organic matter

97/01529 Investigation of the origin of Aleksinac oil shale organic matter

Analysis of the Organic Matter in Oil Shales Distributed in Korea.

The organic matter in source rocks and oil shales distributed in the southeastern and southwestern parts of the Korean peninsular has been analyzed. A mixture of benzene, acetone and methanol was used to extract bitumen by Soxhlet extraction method. The extractable organic matter was separated into aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, and asphaltene by preparative thin layer chromatography. By urea adduction method, aliphatic hydrocarbons were separated into linear aliphatic hydrocarbons and cyclic or branched aliphatic hydrocarbons. The aliphatic hydrocarbons were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. The gas chromatograms for linear aliphatic hydrocarbons showed the distribution of C12-C35 compounds. Generally, the odd number hydrocarbons were detected more than the even number hydrocarbons. From the total ion chromatograms and mass spectra of cyclic and branched aliphatic hydrocarbons, several compounds including 1-methylpropyl-cyclohexane were identified.

Chemical and Petrographic Classification of Kerogen/Macerals

The use of the term «kerogen», originally described as the organic matter in oil shale, has been extended to include all nonsoluble solid organic matter in sedimentary rocks. Kerogen is divided into «types» based on elemental composition and potential maturation path. «Maceral» nomenclature, originally developed to describe the organic components of coal, has also been extended to source rocks and, later, oil shale. The extension and overlap of these two fields creates problems as attested to by the proliferation of vitrinite terminology and the application of the term vitrinite to organic matter that is not clearly derived from woody tissue. Other problems include the fundamental complex and wide-ranging nature of Type II kerogen which is now acknowledged to be a highly heterogeneous material.

Investigation of catalytic effects of indigenous minerals in the pyrolysis of Aleksinac oil shale organic matter

The catalytic effect of indigenous minerals in the pyrolysis of Aleksinac (Yugoslavia) oil shale was studied in this paper. The substrates were prepared by gradual removal of the mineral constituents (carbonates, silicates, pyrite) and the free and bound bitumens. The substrates were analyzed by chemical methods, X-ray diffraction, porosimetry, thermal analysis, 13C NMR, and standard ASTM Micro Activity Test (MAT) designed for the investigation of cracking catalysts. The liquid pyrolysis products were analyzed by organic geochemical techniques as well. Based on the yields of gaseous and liquid products and the coke, conversion degrees, GC analyses (MAT parameters) and weight losses (TG parameter), the catalytic effect of indigenous mineral components in the pyrolysis of Aleksinac oil shale organic matter was found to be very low. The results suggested that principal organic matter changes should be attributed to thermal rather than to catalytic cracking.

Comparative TGA and DSC studies of oil shales

The TGA/DSC equipment offers a simple and accurate method for determination of the amount of the organic matter in oil shales and also for differentiating between volatile and non-volatile fractions. This was done by first carrying out the thermogravimetric analysis in nitrogen, to obtain the volatile fraction, followed by heating the residue in oxygen, to obtain the amount of residual char. The results were quite reproducible and the method was used for comparison of Misnor Rotem shales, from Israel and Kentucky and Green River shales, from the U.S.A. The method was also used as an analytical tool for evaluation of the efficiency of different solvents in supercritical extraction of oil shales and comparison of the extracts with kerogen and retort oil.

Petrographic classification of oil shales

Oil shales are a diverse group of rocks that contain mineral matter and organic matter. The organic matter is derived from terrestrial, lacustrine and marine organisms. The maceral nomeclature system of the International Committee for Coal Petrology, used widely in coal petrography and petroleum source-rock studies, is suitable for describing the organic matter in oil shales provided the terminology for organic matter derived from algal precursors is divided into two submacerals — telalginite and lamalginite. Macerals of the liptinite group, including alginite, are volumetrically important constituents of oil shales and are the major source of the shale oil that is formed during pyrolysis. Liptinite is easily characterized and quantified using fluorescence mode microscopy and thus the type and abundance of liptinite can be used as a basis for a petrographic classification of oil shales. Oil shales are grouped, using the environmental of deposition as the discriminatory criterion, into the three primary divisions of terrestrial, lacustrine and marine oil shales. Type and abundance of liptinite is then used to subdivide these three groups into cannel coal, torbanite, lamosite (further subdivided into Rundle-type lamosite and Green River-type lamosite), marinite, tasmanite and kuckersite.

Organic Petrology of Selected Oil Shale Samples from Lower Carboniferous Albert Formation, New Brunswick, Canada: ABSTRACT

Incident light microscopy was used to describe maturation and composition of organic material in oil shale samples from the Lower Carboniferous Albert Formation of New Brunswick. The maturation level was determined in normal (white) light by measuring vitrinite reflectance and in fluorescent light by measuring fluorescence spectra of alginite B. Results indicate low to intermediate maturation for all of the samples. Composition was determined by maceral analysis. Alginite B is the major organic component in all samples having significant oil potential. Oil yields obtained from the Fischer Assay process, and oil and gas potentials from Rock-Eval analyses correlate to the amounts of alginite B and bituminite determined in the samples. In some of the samples characterized by similar high concentrations of alginite B, decrease in Fischer Assay yields and oil and gas potentials is related to an increase in maturation, as expressed by increase in the fluorescence parameter ^lgrmax and red/green quotient of alginite B. Incident light microscopy, particularly with fluorescent light, offers a valuable tool for the identification of the organic matter in oil shales and for the evaluation of their oil and gas potentials. End_of_Article - Last_Page 494------------

Geology of Oil Shale Deposits Within The Narrows Graben, Queensland, Australia: DISCUSSION

Investigation of the organic matter in oil shales from The Narrows Graben, Queensland and other Australian Tertiary oil shales has shown that most of the organic matter is derived from planktonic algae including Pediastrum. These oil shales are termed lamosites. The presence of Pediastrum in Australian lamosites indicates that these oil shales were deposited in fresh to brackish lacustrine waters which were probably shallow and possibly adjacent to the sea. Occurrence of Pediastrum in lamosites from Yugoslavia, Thailand, China and the US indicates that Pediastrum was probably of widespread occurrence during the Tertiary and may be an important constituent of many other lamosites of Tertiary Age. 16 references, 6 figures, 1 table.

ORGANIC MATTER IN OIL SHALES

The Tertiary oil-shale deposits at Rundle in Queensland and of the Green River Formation in the western USA, together with Mesozoic deposits such as those at Julia Creek in Queensland, offer prospects of competitive recovery cost through the use of large-scale mining methods or the use of in situ processing.A framework for the classification of oil shales is proposed, based on the origin and properties of the organic matter. The organic matter in most Palaeozoic oil shales is dominantly large, discretely occurring algal bodies, referred to as alginite A. However, Tertiary oil shales of northeastern Australia are chiefly composed of numerous very thin laminae of organic matter cryptically-interbedded with mineral matter. Because the present maceral nomenclature does not adequately encompass the morphological and optical properties of most organic matter in oil shales, it is proposed to use the term alginite B for finely lamellar alginite, and the term lamosites (laminated oil shales) for oil shales which contain alginite B as their dominant organic constituent. In the Julia Creek oil shale the organic matter is very fine-grained and contains some alginite B but has a higher content of alginite A and accordingly is assigned to a suite of oil shales of mixed origin.Petrological and chemical techniques are both useful in identifying the nature and diversity of organic matter in oil shales and in assessing the environments in which they were formed. Such an understanding is necessary to develop exploration concepts for oil shales.

Analysis of the organic matter of oil shales by nuclear magnetic resonance

13C NMR spectroscopy was applied in the investigation of the structure of the organic matter in oil shales. By using Proton Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy, a fair resolution of aliphatic and aromatic carbon signals was achieved. This method provided information on the relative ratio of aliphatic and aromatic carbons within a given set of samples (Aleksinac, Kimmeridge, Colorado, Australian torbanite and Estonian kukersite).

The Thermal Conductivity and Diffusivity Of Green River Oil Shales

Thermal conductivities of Green River oil shales vary fourfold, decreasing with increasing oil yield and temperature. Values also decrease as the kerogen decomposes, but these changes are small after about 9 hours. Mineral composition, geographic location, depth of burial, axial stress, and pressure have no significant erect. The thermal properties, which are transversely isotropic, are applicable to the calculation of heat losses from in-situ recovery operations. Introduction Thermal decomposition of the essentially insoluble organic matter in oil shales is the easiest way to obtain shale oil. Proper planning of both surface and sub-surface thermal oil-shale recovery operations requires values of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of oil shales.There are few publications reporting thermal conductivities of oil shale from the Green River formation. Gavin and Sharp reported three values for the thermal conductivity of an oil-shale sample assaying 42.7 gal/ton. Their reported values were obtained over the temperature range from 77 degrees to 167 degrees F, but the direction with respect to the bedding plane in which the measurements were taken was not indicated. Thomas presented thermal conductivity data of an oil shale assaying 30 gal/ ton and at a mean temperature of 104 degrees F, finding values parallel to the bedding plane to be 30 percent higher than those normal to it and finding essentially no effect of stress levels of 1,000 psi and above.Tihen et al. report on the thermal conductivity and diffusivity at room temperature of unconfined raw, retorted, and burned oil shales assaying from 8.6 to 58.6 gal/ton. Correlations for thermal conductivity are given for temperatures as high as 1,100 degrees F while considering the anisotropic character of the oil shales. Though bolted, samples developed cracks during heating, suggesting those results may be more applicable to rubbled pieces in subsurface cavities or large surface retorts than to the calculation of heat losses from a process zone in subsurface thermal operations.This report presents thermal conductivity data of confined Green River oil shales over a wide range of temperature, fluid pressure, axial stress, and kerogen content. The bulk of our measurements were carried out on oil shales as they are found in nature; that is, they were not previously retorted. At the higher temperatures, however, our reported values include the effects of at least some decomposition of the organic matter. Thermal conductivities of burned (organic-free) oil shales were measured on only two samples.The effects of kerogen content, fluid pressure, axial stress, temperature, orientation, heating time, and mineral composition on the thermal conductivities of oil shales were investigated. These basic results were then used together with specific gravity and a correlation of specific heat with oil yield by Fischer assay and temperature to obtain calculated thermal diffusivities for each sample. Instrumentation The transient line heat-source (probe) method, whose application is not particularly complicated by the addition of means for stressing the sample, was used in our investigation. JPT P. 97

The Organic Matter in Oil Shales.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTThe Organic Matter in Oil Shales.Ralph H. Mckee and Ralph T. GoodwinCite this: Ind. Eng. Chem. 1923, 15, 4, 343–349Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1923Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 April 1923https://doi.org/10.1021/ie50160a005RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views108Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (1 MB) Get e-Alerts

Societies and Academies

EDINBURGH. Royal Society, March 16.—Prof. James Geikie, president, in the chair.—Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing: Stalk-eyed Crustacea Malacostraca of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition. Most of the fifty specimens described were collected by the Scotia at various stations during its voyage out and home, so that not more than ten could claim to be Antarctic or sub-Antarctic in their place of capture. Six new species were described, viz., Coryrhynchus algicola, Eupagurus modicellus, Gennadas kempi; Nauticarus brucei. Phye scotiae, P. rathbunae.—D. W. Steuart and Ingvar Jörgensen: Note on the atmospheric electrical potential gradient in industrial districts. The experiments were carried out in the neighbourhood of Leeds. The chief feature was the magnitude of the potential gradient under certain conditions.—J. B. Robertson: A chemical examination of the organic matter in oil-shales. Thirteen samples had been analysed. The carbon hydrogen ratio varied from 6 to 8, the lower ratio belonging to the shale yielding the larger amount of oil produced from a definite percentage of organic matter. The ratios were lower than that of ordinary bituminous coal. The organic matter, the main bulk of which was insoluble in organic solvents, was the product of the decomposition of vegetable substance (algæ, spores, etc.), similar in nature to what was found in peat and cannel coal.

XIII.—A Chemical Examination of the Organic Matter in Oil-Shales

Investigations into the nature of the organic matter in oil-shales began at the time of the famous Torbanehill case in 1854, when experts attempted to settle the question as to whether the substance known as “ Torbanite ” or “ Boghead Mineral” was a coal or an oil-shale. Several witnesses at the trial (Gillespie v. Russel, Session Papers, 1854) maintained that the oilproducing material in the Mineral was of organic origin, while others pronounced it to be bituminous and produced by subaqueous eruptions. T. S. Traill, M.D., proposed for the Boghead Mineral the name “ Bitumenite,” as it seemed to him to “ consist of much bitumen, mingled with earthy matter” (Trans. Roy. 8oc. Edin., 1857, xxi. p. 7). Dr Redfern (Quart. Jonrn. Micros. Soc, 1855, x. pp. 118-119), on the other hand, supposed the round orange-yellow bodies which occur in torbanite to have had their origin in "“ a mass of vegetable cells and tissues which have been disintegrated and otherwise changed by maceration, pressure, and chemical action, and subsequently solidified."” C. E. Bertrand and B. Renault (Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Autun, 1892-3) on microscopic examination have classed these bodies as the remains of gelatinous algae which have been altered by bacterial action.