Energy & Fuels 1997, 11, 747
747
Book Reviews Composition, Geochemistry and Conversion of Oil Shales. Edited by Colin Snape. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Boston, MA, 1995; x + 505 pp; ISBN 0-7923-3343-8; $224. This volume, one of the NATO ASI Series, contains papers resulting from the NATO Advanced Study Institute on oil shales held in Turkey in July 1993. It consists of two sections of review articles and one of research reports. Most of the research contributions are shorter than most journal articles, and the main value of this volume lies in the review articles. These are critical rather than exhaustive. The first group of 9 reviews (158 pp) is devoted to oil shale geochemistry and characterization. The second group of 13 reviews (220 pp) contains papers on conversion, processing, mechanisms, and products, but it would be a mistake to think that all papers in this section are devoted to “applied chemistry”. There is applied work, but also fine reviews by Burnham on a comparison of hydrous and normal pyrolysis and by Siskin and Katritzky discussing the applications of their aqueous organic chemistry studies to geochemical systems. With only a few exceptions, the reviews are authored by leading experts active in their topic areas and the articles generally deal with important issues without shying from controversy. They are less for the expert and more an introduction to various subspecialties. Library purchase is recommended. John W. Larsen, Lehigh University EF950138G S0887-0624(95)00138-1
Geochemical Transformations of Sedimentary Sulfur. Edited by Murthy A. Vairavamurthy and Martin A. A. Schoolen. ACS Symposium Series 612. American Chemical Society: Washington, DC. $106.95. Organic geochemistry as a science is relatively new, dating back to the early 1950s with the experiments of Stanley Miller and Harold Urey on simulated primative atmospheres and the study of the composition of Carbonaceous Chondrites. However, the thrust of most current geochemical research activity begins with the publication in 1969 of a landmark book Organic Geochemistry by Eglinton and Murphy. Since that time, important publications on the subject have come out with increasing frequency, including the important book on Petroleum Formation and Occurrence by B. P. Tissot and D. H. Welte in 1984 and the book Organic GeochemistrysPrinciples and Applications by M. H. Engel and S. A. Macko in 1993. During that period, the role of sulfur in affecting the carbonaceous sediments has also become apparent. This observation and the obvious environmental impact of sulfur in fossil fuels have stimulated the production of several ACS Symposium Series books, including ACS Symposium Volume 393 Biogenic Sulfur in the Environment, ACS Series 429 Geochemistry of Sulfur in Fossil Fuels, and ACS Symposium Series 550
S0887-0624(95)00138-1 CCC: $14.00
Environmental Geochemistry of Sulfide Oxidation. These publications and the enormous amount of work which led up to them have brought about the recognition of the close relationship between sulfur geochemistry and organic geochemistry in general. It is this close relationship that has given rise to this Symposium Volume 612 on the Geochemical Transformations of Sedimentary Sulfur. It developed out of an American Chemical Society Symposium on that subject in Washington, DC, in 1994. After an introductory chapter, the book is divided into seven sections: The Geochemistry of Organic Sulfur in Sedimentary Systems, The Geochemistry of Iron Sulfides in Sedimentary Systems, Oxidative Transformation of Hydrogen Sulfide, Studies of Sulfur Speciation in Sedimentary Systems, Biogeochemical Transformations, Isotopic Effects During Sulfur Transformations, and Thermochemical Sulfate Reduction. These are covered in 24 chapters by workers in the fields from around the world. While the pathways whereby sulfur enters the organic sediments is still not completely understood, there is a general consensus that it derives primarily from the diagenesis of sulfates in the water. The role of organic polysulfides, as opposed to hydrogen sulfide itself, in the incorporation of sulfur structures in sedimentary organic matter is discussed in detail in several chapters. It is perhaps surprising that the exact mechanisms of formation of pyrite, a primary sulfur reservoir in the earth system, is still only incompletely understood. Several possible mechanisms, at least one including reaction of iron oxides or iron sulfide(II) with polysulfides, are postulated. Since most of the steps involved in sulfur conversion involve biological processes, there is usually a discrimination of the organisms involved with respect to the sulfur isotopes utilized. A number of workers participating in this symposium volume, therefore, have utilized isotopic sulfur determination to clarify the mechanisms of the processes involved. In most cases, the preference of the organisms involved is for the lighter sulfur isotope 32S vs the heavier 34S isotope. Biological (diagenetic) reduction of sulfate ions, particularly in the oxic-anoxic zone of the sedimentation water column, is shown to be involved in the reduction of sulfate to H2S, polysulfides, and other reduced sulfur species. The thermochemical reduction of sulfate at higher temperatures, giving rise to sour gas wells etc., is also discussed in this monograph. This book provides an excellent background of information concerning the geochemistry of sulfur in natural sediments and other similar geochemical sulfur containing systems as well. It also provides a wealth of background for both researchers entering the field and those already working on the geochemistry of sulfur. William H. Calkins, University of Delaware EF9600570 S0887-0624(96)00057-6
© 1997 American Chemical Society
