The Effect of a Solvent System on the Yield and Fractional Composition of Bitumen Extracted From the El-lajjun and Sultani Oil Shale Deposits

Abstract

Oil shale samples from two oil shale deposits in Jordan (El-lajjun & Sultani) were examined for solvation using different solvent systems, such as chloroform, ethanol, hexane, toluene, and a mixture of chloroform-ethanol. Aliphatic, aromatic, asphaltenes, and nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen (NSO)-containing fractions were separated from the obtained extract. The ¹H-NMR and FT-IR spectrum of bitumen extract shows the presence of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. The quantity of these fractions are affected by the polarity and the structure of the solvent. The yield of bitumen from both deposits has a limited value and does not exceed 3 wt%. Samples from Sultani show an increase in extracted bitumen yield compared with El-lajjun.

Keywords:

• bitumen
• extraction
• fraction
• oil shale
• solvent