Kinetics and mechanisms of the solubilization of the organic matter of a Moroccan oil shale in a toluene solution at moderate temperatures
In this work the kinetics and the mechanisms of the solubilization of the organic matter of an oil shale from the Timahdit formation (Morocco) in toluene were investigated. Isothermal conversion data to soluble material (based on extractability by tetrahydrofuran in a soxhlet apparatus) were obtained at the three temperature levels: 300, 320, and 340 C. The extracts were analyzed by gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance and elemental analyses. The experimental data showed that asymptotic conversions of 33%, 42%, and 50%, based on the organic carbon content of the shale, were achieved at these temperatures, respectively. The organic matter recovered had the average elemental composition: C 76%, H 8%, O 7%, N 3% and S 6%. The structure of these extracts was predominantly aliphatic. The molecular weight range of the extracted organic compounds extended from 300 to above 2000 atomic mass units. At 340 C, compounds with a molecular weight above 1070 amu were found to undergo thermal degradation reactions to yield species with smaller molecular weight. Analysis revealed that a model according to which species are solubilized via a first order process whose kinetic parameter was dependent on the molecular weight best fitted the conversion and the molecular weight distribution data. Furthermore, the activation energies involved in the solubilization of compounds having a molecular weight less than 1070 atomic mass units were small, suggesting a diffusion mechanism for the recovery of these compounds. On the other hand, the compounds with higher molecular weight involved activation energies that were sufficiently high to suggest that chemical bonds were broken to solubilize these compounds.
- Research Organization:
- Oklahoma Univ., Norman, OK (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6856416
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Kinetics and mechanism of moroccan oil shale solubilization in toluene
Kinetics and mechanism of Moroccan oil shale solubilization in toluene
Related Subjects
OIL SHALES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
ACTIVATION ENERGY
CARBON
CHEMICAL BONDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
DISSOLUTION
GEL PERMEATION CHROMATOGRAPHY
HYDROGEN
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
MOROCCO
NITROGEN
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
ORGANIC MATTER
OXYGEN
SULFUR
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TETRAHYDROFURAN
THERMAL DEGRADATION
TOLUENE
AFRICA
ALKYLATED AROMATICS
AROMATICS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
ENERGY SOURCES
EXTRACTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
FURANS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROCARBONS
KINETICS
MAGNETIC RESONANCE
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
REACTION KINETICS
RECOVERY
RESONANCE
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
040402* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Surface Methods