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Title: Development and application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques to the characterization of coal and oil shale

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5871320

The development of application programs for infrared spectroscopy has been an ongoing proposition for a number of years. This development, however, was accelerated with the advent of Fourier transform infared (FT-IR) instruments and their built-in mini-computers. The uses and pitfalls of several of these routines are discussed in this thesis. A least-squares curve resolving program has been developed and the use of this program is also discussed. The analysis of complex, multicomponent polymeric materials, such as coal and oil shale, by conventional infrared spectroscopy has been a difficult problem. The use of FT-IR spectroscopy for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of these types of materials is discussed. A characterization of oil shale from the Mahogany Zone of the Green River Formation has been obtained by FT-IR. A quantitative analysis of the mineral component by FT-IR spectroscopy is shown to be comparable to that obtained by x-ray diffraction when considering broad mineral types, i.e., carbonates. Methods for the FT-IR analysis of the organic component, both from the whole shale and from kerogen specimens, have been refined. There is a good correlation between the intensity of alkyl bands and Fisher assay yields. An assessment is made of the applicability of extinction coefficients obtained from paraffins to their use in quantitative analysis in oil shales. A quantitative analysis of OH content in coal by FT-IR is comparable to that done by other methods (i.e., chemical and NMR). An analysis is also made of the various types of OH groups in coal.

OSTI ID:
5871320
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English