Shale nitrogen

Petroleum, particulady shale oil, also contains organic oxygen and nitrogen compounds. Model reactions for the removal of these materials with hydrogen include... 

Air Pollution. Particulates and sulfur dioxide emissions from commercial oil shale operations would require proper control technology. Compliance monitoring carried out at the Unocal Parachute Creek Project for respirable particulates, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide from 1986 to 1990 indicate a +99% reduction in sulfur emissions at the retort and shale oil upgrading faciUties. No violations for unauthorized air emissions were issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during this time (62). 

Other gas-treating processes involving sulfolane are (/) hydrogen selenide removal from gasification of coal, shale, or tar sands (qv) (108) (2) olefin removal from alkanes (109) (J) nitrogen, helium, and argon removal from natural gas (110) (4) atmospheric CO2 removal in nuclear submarines (5) ammonia and H2S removal from waste streams (6) H2S, HCl, N2O, and CO2 removal from various streams (111—120) and (7) H2S and SO2 removal from... 

Synthetic fuels derived from shale or coal will have to supplement domestic suppHes from petroleum someday, and aircraft gas turbine fuels producible from these sources have been assessed. Shale-derived fuels can meet current specifications if steps are taken to reduce the nitrogen levels. However, extracting kerogen from shale rock and denitrogenating the jet fuel are energy-intensive steps compared with petroleum refining it has been estimated that shale jet fuel could be produced at about 70% thermal efficiency compared with 95% efficiency for petroleum (25). Such a difference represents much higher cost for a shale product. 

Shue, F.F. Yen, T.F. Concentration and Selective Identification of Nitrogen- and Oxygen-Containing Compounds in Shale Oil, Anal. Chem. 1981, 53, 2081. 

Sklarew DS, Hayes DJ. 1984. Trace nitrogen-containing species in the offgas from 2 oil shale retorting processes. Environ Sci Technol 18 600-603. 

Shale oils are dark-brown, viscous, waxy liquids that usually contain higher concentrations of nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms than coal liquids or crude oil. Oils can often have high pour point temperatures and may have trace concentrations of arsenic. Nitrogen levels of 2% and oxygen concentrations of 1.5% are typical. The sulfur content averages about 1%. 

The primary purpose of the energy conversion facility is the production of liquid or gaseous fuels most of the sulfur will be removed from these products. Liquid fuel streams will be hydro-desulfurized to meet combusion standards, with the sulfur transferred to the gas phase. In the case of oil shale, extensive hydrotreatment will be required to remove the refractory nitrogen compounds from the oil. With this degree of treatment, the sulfur will also be removed. 

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