High Throughput Screening and Characterization Methods of Jordanian Oil Shale as a Case Study

Abstract

Oil shale is an important possible solution to the problem of energy in Jordan. To explore the technical and the economic feasibility of oil shale deposits, numerous samples are analyzed using the standard Fischer Assay (FA) method. However, it would be useful to develop faster, cheaper, and reliable methods for determining the oil content of oil shale. Therefore, the aim of this work was to propose and investigate rapid analytical techniques for the screening of oil shale deposits and to correlate them with the FA method. The Omari deposit located east of Jordan was selected as a case study for analysis using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Results obtained from the TGA method were linearly correlated with FA with high regression factor (R2 = 0.99); a quadratic correlation (R2 = 0.98) was maintained between the FA and the elemental hydrogen mass content, and a quadratic correlation (R2 = 0.97) was found between the FA and the aliphatic hydrocarbons (FTIR peak at 2927 cm−1) produced in the pyrolysis zone. Although other techniques were less correlated, further investigation might lead to better results. Subsequently, these correlated techniques can be a practical alternative to the conventional FA method when, in particular, specific correlation is made for each deposit.

Pyrolysis Kinetic Parameters of Omari Oil Shale Using Thermogravimetric Analysis

“…In addition, limited decomposition of the mineral material can occur, resulting in carbon dioxide production and the release of combined water. This was supported by the generated FTIR spectra ( Figure S1) and our previous work [15], which confirmed the production of CO 2 , as well as aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.…”

“…However, new technologies might overcome this limitation and could utilize higher heating rates. It was reported that increasing the heating rate lead to a non-significant increase in the yield of pyrolysis products but changed the quality of the products (higher specific gravity and heavier oil In the drying zone, there was a relatively low weight loss of less than 1.4 wt.%, which can be related to the devolatilization of surface and adsorbed water, entrapped gases, and light organic materials, as found by the generated FTIR spectra ( Figure S1, in Supplementary Materials) [15]. This low water content resulted in less heating requirements and less drying time for evaporation, thereby increasing the thermal efficiency of the retorter.…”

“…The Omari oil shale formation is located east of Jordan near the Iraqi border [3,15]. From this formation, 100 samples with 2.9 to 15 wt.% oil content and an average of 8.44 wt.% were collected from a depth range of 614 to 892 m. These samples were dried at 40 • C, milled into a particle size of 2.36 mm, and homogenized.…”

“…TGA measurements were applied for Omari oil shale. Samples were heated from 25 • C and 1100 • C at different heating rates (5,10,15, and 20 • C/min). Pyrolysis volatiles were subjected to mass flow measurement, as well as FTIR analysis, recorded every 7 s from 400 to 4000 cm −1 during the heating process.…”

The combined use of GC, PDSC and FT-IR techniques to characterize fat extracted from commercial complete dry pet food for adult cats

“…Moving right on the spectrum toward lower wavenumbers, dactyloscopy region starts [20]. Small differences, e.g., different intensity ratios, or slightly different shapes of selected bands occur; however, region 800-650 requires more detailed analysis.…”