Effect of mineralogical composition and kerogen content on oil shale natural floatability

ABSTRACT

Mineralogical composition is one of the important factors that affect the performance of separation processes. In the current study, two oil shale samples, from El-Nakhil and El-Bieda localities, differ in their mineralogical composition, were subjected to flotation tests. Chemical analysis, differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and microscopic examination are among the used characterization techniques. In addition, their responses for upgrading by flotation were conducted as a function of pH, solid-liquid ratio, stirring speed and different particle sizes. The characterization results indicated that the kerogen content in El-Nakhil sample was 30% while in El-Beida sample was 10%. On the other hand, the flotation results indicated that El-Bieda responses better than that of El-Nakhil in terms of the difference in kerogen % between the original sample and the concentrated ones. The difference in flotation results of two samples can be explained by the difference in kerogen morphology as well as its interaction with surrounding matrix. In El-Bieda the kerogen has a laminated structure but in El-Nakhil it appears as laminated liptinitic component, in addition to the higher carbonate content in El-Nakhil sample in comparison to higher clay content in El-Bieda sample.

KEYWORDS:

• Flotation
• kerogen
• mineralogy
• oil shale

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the General Administration of Scientific Research – Cairo University for funding the project entitled ‘Maximum utilization of oil shale deposits of Egypt”.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The General Administration of Scientific Research – Cairo University [no number];