Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing kerogen, which releases hydrocarbons when heated. Kerogen formed from ancient organisms buried over time. Extracting shale oil involves pyrolysis, or heating kerogen above ground or underground. However, extracting shale oil pollutes the environment through carbon dioxide emissions, water contamination, and groundwater pollution. The process also requires large amounts of water and leaves behind toxic mining waste.
Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing kerogen, which releases hydrocarbons when heated. Kerogen formed from ancient organisms buried over time. Extracting shale oil involves pyrolysis, or heating kerogen above ground or underground. However, extracting shale oil pollutes the environment through carbon dioxide emissions, water contamination, and groundwater pollution. The process also requires large amounts of water and leaves behind toxic mining waste.
Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing kerogen, which releases hydrocarbons when heated. Kerogen formed from ancient organisms buried over time. Extracting shale oil involves pyrolysis, or heating kerogen above ground or underground. However, extracting shale oil pollutes the environment through carbon dioxide emissions, water contamination, and groundwater pollution. The process also requires large amounts of water and leaves behind toxic mining waste.
Oil shale is a sedimentary rock containing kerogen, which releases hydrocarbons when heated. Kerogen formed from ancient organisms buried over time. Extracting shale oil involves pyrolysis, or heating kerogen above ground or underground. However, extracting shale oil pollutes the environment through carbon dioxide emissions, water contamination, and groundwater pollution. The process also requires large amounts of water and leaves behind toxic mining waste.
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Oil Shale Introduction- Oil shale is a type of sedimentary rock that is rich in kerogen. Kerogen is a part of rock that breaks down and releases hydrocarbons when heated. The hydrocarbons in oil shale can be used as an alternative to petroleum or natural gas. Like traditional petroleum, natural gas, and coal, oil shale and kerogen are fossil fuels. Fossil fuels developed from the remains of algae, spores, plants, pollen, and a variety of other organisms that lived millions of years ago in ancient lakes, seas, and wetlands. When these organisms died and drifted to the seabed, they were buried under new layers of plants and sediment. They encountered intense pressure and heat, decomposed, and slowly transformed into the waxy substance known as kerogen. There is not a consistent chemical composition of kerogen, because it has a variety of origins. Kerogen that formed from land plants (called humic kerogen) usually has a higher oxygen content than kerogen formed from plankton (called planktonic kerogen). However, all types of kerogen consist mainly of hydrocarbons; smaller amounts of sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen; and a variety of minerals. Oil shale can be thought of as a precursor to oil and natural gas. With more pressure and over more geological time, kerogen would heat to its “oil window” or “gas window” (the temperature at which it would release crude oil or natural gas).
Oil Shale, Shale Oil, and Oil-Bearing Shale-
Oil shale, shale oil, and oil-bearing shale are three different substances. -Oil shale is a sedimentary rock. As it reaches its oil window, oil shale releases a liquid known as shale oil. Oil shale is the rock from which shale oil is extracted. -Shale oil is similar to petroleum, and can be refined into many different substances, including diesel fuel, gasoline, and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). -Oil-bearing shales are underground rock formations that contain trapped petroleum. The petroleum trapped within the rocks is known as “tight oil” and is difficult to extract. Companies extracting tight oil often use hydraulic fracturing (fracking), while companies extracting shale oil most often use heat.
Classifying Oil Shales- Oil shales are often classified by their depositional history and mineral content. A sedimentary rock’s depositional history is the history of the type of environment in which the rock developed. The depositional history of an oil shale includes the organisms and sediments that were deposited, as well as how those deposits interacted with pressure and heat. The van Krevelen Diagram- The van Krevelen Diagram is a method of classifying oil shales based on their depositional history. The diagram divides oil shales according to where they were deposited: in lakes (lacustrine), in the ocean (marine), or on land (terrestrial). -Oil shales from lacustrine environments formed mostly from algae living in freshwater, saltwater, or brackish water. Lamosite and torbanite are types of oil shales associated with lacustrine environments. Lamosite deposits make up some of the largest oil shale formations in the world. -Oil shales from marine environments formed mostly from deposits of algae and plankton. Marinite, the most abundant of all oil shales, is found in environments that once held wide, shallow seas. Although marinite is abundant, it is often a thin layer and not economically practical to extract. -Oil shales from terrestrial environments formed in shallow bogs and swamps with low amounts of oxygen. Cannel shale, also called cannel coal or “candle coal,” is probably the most familiar type of terrestrial oil shale. Classifying Oil Shales by Mineral Content- Oil shales are classified in three main types based on their mineral content: carbonate-rich shale, siliceous shale, and cannel shale. -Carbonate-rich shale deposits have high amounts of carbonate minerals. Calcite is a carbonate mineral common in carbonate-rich shales. -Siliceous shale is rich in the mineral silica, or silicon dioxide. Siliceous oil shale is sometimes not as hard as carbonate-rich shale, and can more easily be mined. -Cannel shale has terrestrial origins, and is often classified as coal. It can contain the minerals inertinite and vitrinite. Cannel shale is rich in hydrogen, and burns easily. Using Oil Shale- It is burned to generate electricity, is a component in chemical industries, and byproducts are used in cement production.
Extracting Shale Oil- Obtaining shale oil from oil shale involves heating kerogen in a process called pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is a form of heating without the use of oxygen. At about 60-160 degrees Celsius, kerogen reaches its natural “oil window.” At 120-225 degrees Celsius, kerogen reaches its natural “gas window.” Pyrolysis can either be done ex situ (above ground) or in situ (below ground). -Ex Situ: During the ex situ process, oil shale is first extracted from the earth by surface or underground mining. The rock is crushed, and then retorted (heated) to release the shale oil. The shale oil is then refined of impurities, such as sulfur. -In Situ: In situ is a new, experimental method of extracting shale oil. During the in situ process, oil shale is not mined or crushed. Instead, the rock is heated to its oil window while it is still underground. One technology used for in situ oil extraction is known as volumetric heating. In this process, the rock is heated directly with an electric current. The oil could then be pumped directly from underground.
-Combined Technologies: Some methods are designed for both in situ and ex situ extraction. The internal combustion process uses a combination of gas, steam and spent shale produced by ex situ processing. These compounds are burned for pyrolysis. The hot gas is continually cycled through the oil shale, pyrolyzing the rock and releasing oil.
#Unfortunately, substances in the oil shale, such as sulfides, react with
water to form toxic compounds that are harmful to the environment and to us. Sulfides can cause effects from eye irritation to suffocation. Water containing toxic substances is unusable, and expensive to decontaminate. The process also produces heaps of ash. This ash can pollute ground, air, and water sources. Environmental Effects: Mining for oil shale can have damaging effects on the environment. When shale oil is combusted (heated), it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas; it absorbs and retains heat in Earth’s atmosphere, a process called the “greenhouse effect.” The greenhouse effect is essential to life on Earth because it helps insulate Earth and keep it at a warm, livable temperature. The greenhouse effect helps maintain Earth’s “carbon budget.” Carbon is constantly being exchanged between the ocean, the atmosphere, and the Earth itself. Carbon on the earth is contained in plants, soil, fossil fuels, and all living things—including us! The carbon in fossil fuels (including coal, petroleum, natural gas, and oil shale) has been sequestered, or stored, underground for millions of years. By removing this sequestered carbon from the earth and releasing it into the atmosphere, Earth’s carbon budget is put out of balance. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere at a much quicker rate than the trees, water, and ground can reabsorb it. More carbon retains more heat in Earth’s atmosphere, and contributes to rising temperatures—global warming, the current period of climate change. Sometimes, climates can rise faster than organisms can adapt. Another environmental disadvantage to extracting shale oil is the enormous amounts of freshwater required. Water is necessary for drilling, mining, refining, and generating power. Some experts estimate that three liters of water are required to produce just one liter of shale oil. Some of this water is contaminated by toxic compounds, and is costly to decontaminate. Mining can also contaminate groundwater. During in situ processing, toxic byproducts are left underground. They can leach into other sources of water, making them unsafe for drinking, hygiene, or development.
What Is Hydrology ? 2. What Is Isotope Hydrology ? 3. What Are Isotopes ? 4. Process Controlling Natural Distribution of Isotope 5. Application of Isotope in Hydrology
Instant ebooks textbook (Ebook) Laboratory Manual for Groundwater, Wells, and Pumps by Rohitashw Kumar, Vijay P. Singh, Munjid Maryam ISBN 9781032334332, 1032334339 download all chapters
What Is Hydrology ? 2. What Is Isotope Hydrology ? 3. What Are Isotopes ? 4. Process Controlling Natural Distribution of Isotope 5. Application of Isotope in Hydrology
Instant ebooks textbook (Ebook) Laboratory Manual for Groundwater, Wells, and Pumps by Rohitashw Kumar, Vijay P. Singh, Munjid Maryam ISBN 9781032334332, 1032334339 download all chapters
