Possibilities of oil shale mining under the Selisoo mire of the Estonia oil shale deposit

The paper presents results of the study on oil shale mining (Estonia underground mine) possibilities under the Selisoo mire. The Selisoo area is 2,051 ha in extent, and most of the mire is in natural state. Peat layer consists of thick (4.4–6.5 m) oligotrophic peat. Mining under Selisoo will go at depths 65–70 m under the surface. The mining field of the Estonia mine was planned between Ahtme and Viivikonna fault zones. The lowest hydraulic conductivity of carbonate rocks 0.11 l/day per m² is found in the Oandu layer and for peat it is 0.35–0.0002 m/day. Therefore, together they form a good aquitard. When the annual rainfall amount is the highest, the difference between horizontal water inflow and runoff is positive with 127,000 m³. Positive water balance is guaranteed in case of precipitation being at least 540 mm/year. The positive water balance is important for preserving the ecological system of Selisoo mire. For guaranteeing long-term stability of mine pillars, a new calculation method has been elaborated, based on the conventional calculation scheme, where the factor of safety is more than 2.3. Rheological processes are out of question, collapse of the pillars is impossible. Stability of the underground constructions and overburden rocks must be “eternal”. The criteria were elaborated for oil shale mining and will guarantee preservation of mires in natural or close to natural state.     

桦甸市孙家屯油页岩矿区成井工艺探讨

采用HYDX-5A型全液压动力头式岩心钻机,通过桦甸市孙家屯油页岩矿区矿钻探实例,确定了在不同的地层深度采用不同直径的钻头、采用不同的工艺,成功地完成了钻探任务。实践证明在本区新近系油页岩地层进行钻井时采用此法是行之有效的。     

桦甸矿区油页岩地层工程地质条件分析

吉林桦甸矿区为我国东北地区重要能源基地之一。为满足矿区大规模开发需要,本文在前期工作基础上,对矿区油页岩矿层及围岩的力学性质进行了综合分析,对矿区地层工程地质条件进行了评价,研究成果可为软岩矿区井巷支护提供参考。     

Environmental impact assessment of open pit mining in Iran

Mining is widely regarded as having adverse effects on environment of both magnitude and diversity. Some of these effects include erosion, formation of sinkhole, biodiversity loss and contamination of groundwater by chemical from the mining process in general and open-pit mining in particular. As such, a repeatable process to evaluate these effects primarily aims to diminish them. This paper applies Folchi method to evaluate the impact of open-pit mining in four Iranian mines that lacked previous geo-environmental assessment. Having key geologic resources, these mines are: Mouteh gold mine, Gol-e-Gohar and Chogart iron mines, and Sarcheshmeh copper mine. The environmental components can be defined as public health and safety, social relationships, air and water quality, flora and fauna hence, various impacting factors from the mining activities were estimated for each environmental component. For this purpose, each impacting factor was first given a magnitude, based solely on the range of possible scenarios. Thereafter, a matrix of weighted factors was derived to systematically quantify and normalize the effects of each impacting factor. The overall impact upon each individual environmental component was then calculated by summing the weighted rates. Here, Folchi method was applied to evaluate those environmental conditions. Based on the acquired results, the present paper finally concludes that amongst four case histories in Iran, Sarcheshmeh copper mine significantly affects the environment, with critical level of air pollution there.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of oil shale,shale oil,and spent shale

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) reveals the presence of free radicals in raw shale, shale oil, and spent shale. Thirty-four samples of raw shale, and the spent shale and shale oil produced in the Fischer assay of these raw shale samples were studied. There is a significant correlation between the gallons per ton oil yield as estimated by Fischer assay and the spin density in the raw oil shale. However, the scatter in the data (due to uncertainties in sample preparation, Fischer assay results, and estimation of spins per gram of sample) limits the analytical utility of this finding. Sample preparation techniques affect the EPR signal.     

国内外油页岩开采方法和利用现状

简单地介绍了国内外油页岩的分布、储量和主要利用情况,详细地介绍了7年来在美国科罗拉多州MDP-MTE地区,荷兰壳牌石油公司进行的油页岩地下转化工艺技术实验情况和它与吉林省合作利用该技术提炼油页岩油的预计方案.     

页岩油分类与评价

页岩油是以游离(含凝析态)、吸附及溶解(可溶解于天然气、干酪根和残余水等)态等多种方式赋存于有效生烃泥页岩地层层系中且具有勘探开发意义的非气态烃类。根据泥页岩地层中所含烃类相态、成因机理及勘探开发等特点,将页岩类油气划分为页岩气和页岩油等两类八种。结合页岩油特点,指出了我国页岩油形成条件和分布规律,即规模分布的有效生烃泥页岩、形成于深水-半深水相的富有机质泥页岩、较高的有机质丰度和适当的热演化程度以及较好的基质物性条件等是页岩油形成的主要条件。建立了中国陆相断陷湖盆页岩油发育模式,指出概率体积法可以作为页岩油资源评价的主要方法,提出了页岩油远景区、有利区及目标区优选的参数体系和标准。作为非常规油气能源的主要类型之一,页岩油将会对我国能源结构产生重要影响。     

Soil carbon accumulation after open-cast coal and oil shale mining in Northern Hemisphere: a quantitative review

Meta-analysis and other statistical methods were used to evaluate how changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content in post-mining soils are related to different factors; the data were obtained from 17 studies covering 93 temperate post-mining sites in the Northern Hemisphere that had been revegetated by forest or grassland either by reclamation or natural succession. Because many studies have failed to report any measures of variance, only part of the data were used for meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, the rate of SOC accumulation was unrelated to vegetation type. In a separate analysis that included all available data and in which rates of SOC accumulation at each site were used as individual entries, the rate of SOC accumulation differed depending on the age of the site and vegetation type. Under deciduous forests, the rate reached a maximum after 5–10 years and then decreased. Under coniferous forests, the initial SOC values were lower than under deciduous forests, but slowly increased with age and reached a maximum after 30–40 years. No significant temporal trend was found in grasslands, probably because the data set included only relatively young grassland sites. Based on data from sites younger than 30 years, sites with grasslands and deciduous forests accumulated SOC faster than sites with coniferous forests. The rate of accumulation was negatively correlated with temperature under coniferous forests, but positively correlated with temperature in grasslands. This suggests that carbon sequestration is favored by cold climates in coniferous forests, but by warm climates in grasslands. Deciduous forests were intermediate. Compared to conifers, deciduous trees may support SOC sequestration deeper in the soil profile, which may enhance SOC stability. A large proportion of post-mining sites reach the pre-mining SOC stock within 20 years or less after reclamation.     

Environmental impact of uncontrolled waste disposal in mining and industrial areas in Central Germany

The present-day landscape in Central Germany, in particular the region of Leipzig, Halle and Bitterfeld, is characterized by the scars of former industrial activities. Vast districts have been devastated by lignite strip mining. Industrial and domestic waste, residues from ore smelting, and highly toxic waste products from petrochemical plants and pesticide production were deposited in abandoned pits near population centers. The chief effects of waste on the environment are the contamination of groundwater by dissolved pollutants, the acidification of soil and water by the oxidation of pyrite-containing mining waste, and the salinization of shallow aquifers by rising brines from adjacent confined groundwater affected by mining. The consequences for the region are serious: mining lakes used for recreational purposes are contaminated by leachates from adjacent waste dumps. Pyrite-containing refuse from lignite mining under oxidation gives rise to the acidification of surface and groundwater, a basic condition for pollutant mobilization. In former metal mining districts, metalliferous and radioactive residues from smelting jeopardize public health. These effects are described in detail using three case studies. Received: 30 July 1996 · Accepted: 24 February 1997     

油页岩的综合开发与利用

油页岩是一种重要的能源矿产，其资源量巨大，是石油和天然气的重要替代资源。本文简介了国内外油页岩开发利用的历史和现状，综述了油页岩综合开发利用的方式和途径。油页岩除用来炼油、燃烧发电外，其灰渣可用于材料制造、废气和污水处理。油页岩还在农业、制取氢气和有机酸以及提取金属元素等方面有广泛的用途。研究表明，油页岩综合开发利用能取得良好的资源、环境、经济及社会效益，对实现资源可持续发展具有重要作用。     

Adsorption of pyridine by combusted oil shale

Large volumes of solid waste material will be produced during the commercial production of shale oil. An alternative to the disposal of the solid waste product is utilization. One potential use of spent oil shale is for the stabilization of hazardous organic compounds. The objective of this study was to examine the adsorption of pyridine, commonly found in oil shale process water, by spent oil shale. The adsorption of pyridine by fresh and weathered samples of combusted New Albany Shale and Green River Formation oil shale was examined. In general, pyridine adsorption can be classified as L-type and the isotherms modeled with the Langmuir and Freundlich equations. For the combusted New Albany Shale, weathering reduced the predicted pyridine adsorption maximum and increased the amount of pyridine adsorbed at low solution concentrations. For the combusted Green River Formation oil shales, weathering increased the predicted pyridine adsorption maximum. The pyridine adsorption isotherms were similar to those produced for a combusted Australian oil shale. Although adsorption can be mathematically described by empirical models, the reduction in solution concentrations of pyridine was generally less than 10 mg/l at an initial concentration of 100 mg/l. Clearly, the observed reduction in solution pyridine concentrations does not sufficiently justify using spent oil shale as a stabilizing medium. However, data in the literature suggest that other organic compounds can be effectively removed from solution by spent oil shale and that adsorption is dependent on process conditions and organic compound type.     

油页岩生产技术研究

总结了世界上从油页岩中制取页岩油的两大类生产技术方法:即地面干馏方法和地下转化方法,并总结了各方法的优缺点。根据我国油页岩资源的特点,认为应在发展和改进目前地面干馏技术的同时着力发展地下转化技术,为开采油页岩油进行技术改进。     

Geotechnical properties of combusted western oil shale

The engineering properties of solid waste produced by the combustion of Western oil shale are evaluated and discussed. Index properties and their variability, moisture—density relationships, shear strength, stress—strain characteristics, and hydraulic conductivity were evaluated in laboratory tests. Cementation caused by the formation of hydrous cements when combusted oil shale is exposed to water was found to be the most significant factor affecting its engineering properties. With increasing initial water content, shear strength increases and hydraulic conductivity decreases significantly, primarily because of cementation. Implications for the design of waste disposal embankments are discussed.     

The origin of nitriles in shale oil

Because nitriles are unlikely to occur naturally in a geological environment but have been reported as being present in some shale oils their origin was investigated. A careful infrared study could find no trace of the nitriles in the shale but it was shown, by infrared and gas chromatography with a nitrogen sensitive detector, that they do occur in some but not all oils. They are formed in the pyrolysis process by the reaction of car?ylic acids and ammonia liberated from minerals such as ammonium feldspars present in the shale. If both species are not present nitriles are not formed in the product oil. Pyrolysis of a brown coal, Loy Yang, in the presence of ammonia produced nitriles but none were generated when a more mature coal (Metropolitan) was similarly treated.     

Environmental impact of the former Pb–Zn mining and smelting in East Belgium

In the mining district of Plombières-La Calamine (East Belgium), extensive Pb–Zn mining activities resulted in an important contamination of overbank sediments along the Geul river. Moreover, a huge amount of heavy metals is stored in a dredged mine pond tailing, which is located along the river. In the dredged mine pond tailing sediments, Pb–Zn minerals control the solubility of Zn, Pb and Cd. Although Pb, Zn and Cd display a lower solubility in overbank sediments compared to the mine tailing pond sediments, elevated concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd are still found in the porewater of the overbank sediments. The considerable ‘actual’ and ‘potential’ mobility of Zn, Pb and Cd indicates that the mine pond tailing sediments and the overbank sediments downstream from the mine pond tailing represent a considerable threat for the environment. Besides the chemical remobilisation of metals from the sediments, the erosion of overbank sediments and the reworking of riverbed sediments act as a secondary source of pollution.     

Elemental abundances in Green River oil shale

Spark-source mass spectrometric analysis of pyrolyzed Green River oil shale for trace element distribution showed enhanced concentrations for only lithium and beryllium. In general, trace elemental concentrations were found to be below anticipated crustal amounts. There appears to be no promise of any substantial accumulation of any trace elements within the organic matrix of Green River oil shale.     

Spent oil shale use in earthwork construction

Spent oil shale (or blaes) is a potentially valuable engineering material and is present in large quantities in the West Lothian area of Scotland. It can be used successfully as general fill or capping layer. However, due to its high quality it may be more suited to use as selected granular fill or sub-base. In particular, cement stabilisation will reduce frost susceptibility and may be a particularly appropriate outlet for spent oil shale for use as sub-base. However, an increase in control and testing may be required, having an effect on the cost of using such materials. Conditions under which spent oil shale should not be used are also identified.     

全球页岩油形成分布潜力及中国陆相页岩油理论技术进展

全球非常规页岩层系油气资源丰富,富有机质页岩主要沉积在劳亚构造域和特提斯构造域的上侏罗统、渐新统—中新统、白垩系和上泥盆统4套页岩层系内。交汇分析北美典型页岩油区块产量与R_o数据关系,提出R_o为0.7%作为低熟页岩油和中高熟页岩油的界限,系统评价了全球116个盆地157套页岩层系中高熟页岩油、低熟页岩油技术可采资源量约2 512亿t,主要分布在北美洲、南美洲、北非和俄罗斯,以前陆盆地中新界、克拉通盆地古生界、裂谷盆地和被动大陆边缘盆地的中生界为主。海相页岩油受显生宙以来的海侵影响,富集在稳定克拉通和前陆等类型盆地中,具大面积稳定分布、成熟度适中等特征;陆相页岩油受暖室期气候影响,主要在坳陷、断陷等类型盆地中发育,以微纳米级无机孔隙和微页理裂缝为主要储渗空间通道,具有沉积相横向变化大、“甜点区段”局部富集等特征。中国石油工业正经历从“陆相页岩生油”向“陆相页岩产油”转变,初步形成源岩油气“进源找油”地质理论、陆相页岩油高效勘探及低成本开发技术体系,推动中国陆相页岩油取得重要突破。着力加强应用基础理论研究与关键技术攻关,构建地质-工程一体化模式,...     

Adsorption of copper and zinc by oil shale

 Oil shale is able to remove appreciable amounts of copper and zinc ions from aqueous solutions. It was noted that an increase in the adsorbent concentration with constant copper or zinc concentration resulted in greater metal removal from solution. An increase in the copper or zinc concentration with a constant sorbent concentration resulted in higher metal loading per unit weight of sorbent. For both metals, copper and zinc, equilibrium was attained after 24-h contact time. Increase in the initial pH or temperature of the metal solution resulted in an increase in the metal uptake per unit weight of the sorbent. Freundlich isotherm model was found to be applicable for the experimental data of Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺. The results showed that oil shale could be used for the adsorption of the Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ with higher affinity toward Zn²⁺ ions. Addition of sodium salt to the metal solution influenced copper removal positively, but inhibited zinc removal. Received: 3 January 2000 · Accepted: 27 June 2000     

Polar constituents isolated from Green River oil shale

This paper interprets the mass spectrometric, i.r. absorption and NMR data for 22 compounds obtained from a polar fraction of Green River shale. The major constituents analyzed are believed to be of the following compositional types: C_nH_2nO (cyclohexanols and chain isoprenoid ketones), C_nH_2n?10O (tetralones and indanones), C_nH_2n?7N (tetrahydroquinolines), C_nH_2n?11N (quinolines), C_nH_2n?1NO (alkoxypyrrolines), C_nH_2n?5NO₂ (maleimides), C_nH_2n?8 (tetralins), C_nH_2n?12 (naphthalenes) and C_nH_2n?14 (benzylbenzenes). This work expands the present information about nitrogen, oxygen and aromatic constituents indigenous to Green River shale.