Separation of bitumen from tar sands using sulfur and water

Patent · Tue Jun 13 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6704564

Fuller, E J

A relatively low temperature process for separating and recovering bitumen from natural tar sands wherein granular sulfur and water are mixed with the tar sand, in the presence of air, to form a sulfur-bitumen agglomerate which floats on the water, with relatively bitumen-free sand sinking to the bottom. The agglomerate may be skimmed off the surface of the water and bitumen recovered therefrom by heating the agglomerate to melt the sulfur and then separating the molten sulfur from the hot bitumen. It has unexpectedly been discovered that a yield of over 80% of bitumen can be recovered from the tar sands by the use of sulfur in the process, compared to only about 20% if sulfur is not present.

• Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Co.
• Patent Number(s): US 4094768
• OSTI ID: 6704564
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
AGGLOMERATION
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXTRACTION
FLOTATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SOLVENT PROPERTIES
SULFUR
TAR
WATER