Composition Geochemistry And Conversion Of Oil Shales

Oil shales are broadly dermed as petroleum source rocks containing sufficiently high contents of organic matter (above ca 10-15 wt. %) to make utilisation a possibility. Like coal, the world's reserves of oil shales are vast being many times larger than those proven for crude oil. Indeed, some of the largest deposits occur in the USA and Europe where Estonia and Turkey have large reserves. The first recorded interest in oil shale retorting was an English patent in 1694 (Eele, Hancock and Porter, No. 330) which refers to distilling noyle from some kind of stone". The oil shale retorting industry dates back to the middle of the last century, notably Scotland, Estonia, France and Sweden in Europe. Indeed, my own Department at the University of Strathclyde has a historical link with James "Paraffin" Young, the founder of the Scottish oil shale industry who endowed a chair in Applied Chemistry. The growth of the oil industry saw the demise of the oil shale industry in most countries with the notable exception of Estonia, where kukersite has continued to be used for power generation and retorting. However, oil shale utilisation has attracted renewed attention since the early 1970s as a source of transport fuels and chemical feedstocks due to the the long term uncertainties over crude oil supplies.

Advances in Natural Gas: Formation, Processing, and Applications is a comprehensive eight-volume set of books that discusses in detail the theoretical basics and practical methods of various aspects of natural gas from exploration and extraction, to synthesizing, processing and purifying, producing valuable chemicals and energy. The volumes introduce transportation and storage challenges as well as hydrates formation, extraction, and prevention. Volume 1 titled Natural Gas Formation and Extraction introduces natural gas characteristics and thermo-physical properties. The book discusses various formation and synthesize techniques from non-renewable sources (coal, oil shale, etc.) and renewable sources (biomass, sewage, algae, etc.) of natural gas as well as its extraction techniques from different reservoirs. It also covers related environmental challenges of natural gas, economic assessment of its extraction and production technologies, health. Introduces natural gas characteristics and properties Describes different renewable/non-renewable sources for natural gas production and extraction Includes various methods and technologies for extracting and producing natural gas with related challenges

Refineries must not only adapt to evolving environmental regulations for cleaner product specifications and processing, but also find ways to meet the increasing demand for petroleum products,particularly for liquid fuels and petrochemical feedstocks. The Chemistry and Technology of Petroleum, Fourth Edition offers a 21st century perspective

Shale Oil and Gas Production Processes delivers the basics on current production technologies and the processing and refining of shale oil. Starting with the potential of formations and then proceeding to production and completion, this foundational resource also dives into the chemical and physical nature of the precursor of oil shale, kerogen, to help users understand and optimize its properties in shale. Rounding out with reporting, in situ retorting, refining and environmental aspects, this book gives engineers and managers a strong starting point on how to manage the challenges and processes necessary for the further development of these complex resources. Helps readers grasp current research on production from shale formations, including properties and composition Fill in the gaps between research and practical application, including discussions of existing literature Includes a glossary to help readers fully understand key concepts

The negative environmental impacts of energy use, particularly soil and water pollution, continue to present serious policy dilemmas. The release of emissions and effluents and the build-up of solid waste throughout the fuel cycle have disruptive effects on natural habitats and human health. Further, fuel combustion can result in the emission of carbon dioxide, ozone, methane and nitrogen dioxide the 'greenhouse gases' which have been linked to climate change. The safe and sustainable use of energy has become an important issue in the wider environmental debate. In this report, researchers from the Stockholm Environment Institute explore the issues raised by the use of low-grade fuels such as peat, wood, biomass, lignite, oil shale and municipal and industrial wastes. The present strategies and policy options for all stages of the process, from mining and transport to processing and combustion. With those who would like to learn more about these fuels in mind, the material is presented clearly, and discussions of environmental protection measures are given in table form throughout the ease of reference. A directory of environmental guidelines, regulations and standards is given in an appendix. While a high calorific value fuels remain the most significant source of energy in many countries, economic and other constraints on the use of these fuels may result in more nations turning to low-grade sources of energy to operate their industrial or transportation sectors. The greater potential for environmental degradation that accompanies the use of low-grade fuels means that it is crucial that environmentally sound methods for their management, such as those presented here, be more widely available. The Environmental Management of Low-Grade Fuels will be valuable for industry specialists, policy makers, students and all who are concerned with the life cycle of these materials. Mary MacDonald is an affiliated scientist, and Michael Chadwick is a former director, at the Stockholm Environment Institute. Garegin Aslanian is a senior associate with the Institute for High Temperature Research in Moscow. Originally published in 1996

The first strand involves a critical overview of the design of experimental methods used for examining the thermal behaviour of solid fuels [pyrolysis, liquefaction and gasification], while the second will emphasise chemical structures and molecular mass distributions of coal derived tars, extracts and pitches, petroleum-derived asphaltenes, and biomass derived heavy hydrocarbon liquids. Two major, interdependent strands in the study of fossil and renewable fuel utilisation are focused on within this text: (i) Thermal characterisation of solid fuels including various ranks of coals, biomass and waste, and, (ii) The analytical characterisation of heavy hydrocarbon liquids, covering coal, petroleum and biomass derived heavy fractions. Two major, interdependent strands in the study of fossil and renewable fuel utilisation are focused on within this text: (i) Thermal characterisation of solid fuels including various ranks of coals, biomass and waste, and, (ii) The analytical characterisation of heavy hydrocarbon liquids, covering coal, petroleum and biomass derived heavy fractions.