Sustainability Effect of Water Gas Shift Reaction (Syngas) in Catalytic Upgrading of Heavy Crude Oil and Bitumen

Abstract

Industrial globalization and urbanization has placed man on a path for the quest of energy. Conspicuously there are various types and forms of energy with established technologies on harnessing and utilization wherein fossil fuel still remains the cheapest with straightforward application. Although, conventional fossil fuel resources are depleting because of population growth, unconventional reservoirs are exploited daily with limited production due to inadequate and expensive technology making them stand at approximately 9.1 trillion barrels poised to quell the world's energy insecurity for the next 100 years. The underlying basis for the high-cost of unconventional reservoirs upgrading is the hydrogen required to seal the alkyl chain after cracking to form low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Therefore, in this chapter we aim to provide a comprehensive review of in-situ generation of hydrogen from syngas via water gas shift reaction for the catalytic upgrading of heavy crude oil and bitumen by analyzing the gas chromatography results of gaseous effluents for the presence of syngas in the various works cited. Although, heavy crude oil and bitumen are non-renewable the upgrading method selected is tenable, appropriately the overall technology is partially sustainable.

Steam Pyrolysis of Oil Sludge for Energy-Valuable Products

“…The thermal conversion of hydrocarbons in the superheated steam medium (at 500-700 • C) can have a number of environmental and technological advantages, such as the neutralization of harmful compounds formed in the steam-gas mixture [17,18] and the improvement of the quality indicators of the condensed liquid hydrocarbons (reduced content of sulfur compounds, ash, changed molecular weight of light hydrocarbons) [19]. In addition, the use of superheated steam as a hydrocarbons conversion agent increases the H 2 content in the resulting synthesis gas: C + H 2 O → CO + H 2 , CH 4 + H 2 O → CO + 3H 2 and CO + H 2 O → CO 2 + H 2 [20][21][22][23]. Efika et al [24] reported that the use of steam as an additional agent for biomass conversion increases the hydrogen concentration in the composition of gas-phase products by 30%.…”