AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS OBTAINED BY THERMAL CONVERSION OF GREEN RIVER OIL SHALE KEROGEN USING CO AND H₂O AT ELEVATED PRESSURE

Abstract

Aromatic hydrocarbons produced from the reaction o f Green River oil shale w i t h carbon monoxide and water at elevated pressure and a t temperatures from 300 t o 450°C were investigated. T h e isolation o f these aromatic hydrocarbons involved ion exchange, complexation, silica gel, and alumina chromatographic techniques.Compound types present i n these aromatic h y d r ocarbons were studied b y h i g h resolution mass spectrometry and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Compound types were mostly phenylcyclohexylalkanes, dinaphthenobenzenes, trinaphthenobenzenes, naphthenonaphthalenes, and carotenoid types at 300°C; b u t a t 450°C compound types were mostly alkylbenzenes, alkylbiphenyls, and alkylnaphthalenes.The composition of aromatic hydrocarbons from t h e benzene-extracted bitumen of Green R i v e r oil shale was found t o b e similar to that in the 300°C p r o d u c t from the CO-HzO reaction.

Long-Time-Period, Low-Temperature Reactions of Green River Oil Shale

“…Similar evidence for CO promotion comes from reactions of a Jordanian oil shale in the presence of water . Reactions of Green River oil shale in CO–H 2 O − gave yields at least equal to those obtained by Fischer assay at low temperatures and oil differing in its characteristics from conventional retorted oil. They did not consider the effect of added alkali.…”