Toxic trace elements and oil shale production

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977 · Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States)

OSTI ID:6411202

Chappeul, W R; Runnells, D D

An interdisciplinary, multiuniversity research program sponsored by ERDA is investigating the potential for release of harmful amounts of trace elements into the environment by the extraction and processing of oil shale. Scientists from the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, and the Colorado School of Mines are studying the background levels of trace elements in natural materials, the mass flow through oil shale retorts, the uptake of trace elements by plants, and the leachability of trace elements in retorted shales and disturbed soils. Because a 50,000 bpd plant will process about 73,000 tons/day of shale, the amount of trace elements flowing through the system can be prodigious. When this is scaled up to a proposed million barrels per day industry, the quantities are even more impressive. In one year, such an industry would be depositing spent shale containing 16,000 tons of As, 800,000 tons of F, and 8,000 tons of Mo. The loss of even a small fraction of these elements could have a significant environmental impact. The group has focused on As, Mo, Se, F, and B because of the alkaline nature of the area and the processes involved.

• OSTI ID: 6411202
• Report Number(s): CONF-770676-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Trace Subst. Environ. Health; (United States) Journal Volume: 11
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040700* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Health & Safety
041000 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Environmental Aspects
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ARSENIC
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BORON
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
FLUORINE
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HALOGENS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LEACHING
MATERIALS
METALS
MOLYBDENUM
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONMETALS
OIL SHALE PROCESSING PLANTS
OIL SHALES
POLLUTION
SELENIUM
SEMIMETALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOILS
SPENT SHALES
TOXICITY
TRACE AMOUNTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER POLLUTION