Bitumen Ridge

The characterization of a novel series of biomarkers is illustrated with the g 7 2-dialkylalkanes in bitumen from a hydrothermal system on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The total bitumen consists of hydrocarbons, a major UCM (unresolved complex mixture of branched and cyclic compounds) and mature biomarkers (e.g. hopanes) (Fig. 13a). The bitumen contains a series of cyclopentylalkanes Cfi 2n) that range from n = 14 to 34, with only even-chained pseudohomologs and a concentration maximum (Cmax) at n = 18. Their source is biogenic, based on the presence of only even-carbon number homologs, but the precursors are unknown. 

Fig. 13. Salient features of the GC-MS data for the saturated fraction of a hydrothermal bitumen sam pie from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (a) TIC - background trace, (b) ra/z 85 fragmentogram (key ion for 3-ethyl-3-methylalkanes and -alkanes), (c) mjz 99, key ion for 3,3-diethylalkanes with -alkanes, and (d) m/z 127, key ion for 5,5-diethylalkanes with w-alkanes. (Numbers refer to total carbon number, dots ovet peaks are -alkanes.)... 

Table I. Elemental Analysis and Properties of Catalytic Cracking Feedstocks (Asphalt Ridge Bitumen)...

Bitumen derived from the Asphalt Ridge deposit in Utah was responsive to catalytic cracking, which provided higher quality products at similar yields when compared with coking. Good reactivity to catalytic cracking is predicted from consideration of the high content of alkyl and... 

HUNGER ET AL. Catalytic Cracking of Asphalt Ridge Bitumen 69... 

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