Process for recovering oil and metals from oil shale
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorLeslie R. Rudnick
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for the recovery of oil and metal values from oil shale which includes the step of acid leaching in combination with selective extraction of nitrogen components from the resultant product shale oil. The extracted nitrogen rich stream can either be recycled or utilized for other purposes as desired.
Claims28
A method for recovering hydrocarbonaceous materials from minerals containing same, particularly oil shale, under oil shale retorting conditions where a nitrogen containing product shale oil has nitrogen components extracted therefrom by an internally produced mineral acid which is also used to leach spent shale to recover minerals comprising the steps of:
- (a) retorting under oil shale retorting conditions;
- (b) obtaining from the retorting step a product shale oil which contains nitrogen components therein;
- (c) producing sulfuric acid from a hydrogen sulfide containing off gas generated from the retorting step;
- (d) contacting a portion of said sulfuric acid with product shale oil and extracting therefrom a substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction and a substantially low nitrogen-containing shale oil;
- and
- (e) hydrogenating and recycling said substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction into the oil shale retort under oil shale retorting conditions to obtain increased amounts of hydrocarbonaceous materials.
A method for recovering hydrocarbonaceous materials from minerals containing same, particularly oil shale, under oil shale retorting conditions where a nitrogen containing product shale oil has nitrogen components extracted therefrom by an internally produced mineral acid which is also used to leach spent shale to recover minerals comprising the steps of:
- (a) retorting under oil shale retorting conditions;
- (b) obtaining from the retorting step a product shale oil which contains nitrogen components therein;
- (c) producing sulfuric acid from a hydrogen sulfide containing off gas generated from the retorting step;
- (d) contacting a portion of said sulfuric acid with product shale oil and extracting therefrom a substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction and a substantially low nitrogen-containing shale oil;
- (e) contacting another portion of said sulfuric acid with spent oil shale and fines thereof to leach metal values therefrom;
- and
- (f) hydrogenating and recycling said substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction into the oil shale retort under oil shale retorting conditions to obtain increased amounts of hydrocarbonaceous materials.
A method for recovering hydrocarbonaceous materials from minerals containing same, particularly oil shale, under oil shale retorting conditions where a nitrogen containing product shale oil has nitrogen components extracted therefrom by an internally produced mineral acid which is also used to leach spent shale to recover minerals comprising the steps of:
- (a) retorting under oil shale retorting conditions;
- (b) obtaining from the retorting step a product shale oil which contains nitrogen components therein;
- (c) producing sulfuric acid from a hydrogen sulfide containing off gas generated from the retorting step;
- (d) contacting a portion of said sulfuric acid with product shale oil and extracting thereform a substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction and a substantially low nitrogen-containing shale oil;
- (e) contacting another portion of said sulfuric acid with spent oil shale and fines thereof to leach metal values therefrom;
- (f) extracting said spent shale and fines with an amine solution under conditions suitable for extracting metals therefrom after leaching said spent shale and fines with sulfuric acid;
- and
- (g) hydrogenating and recycling said substantially high nitrogen-containing fraction into the oil shale retort under oil shale retorting conditions to obtain increased amounts of hydrocarbonaceous materials.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.