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Energy & Fuels 2004, 18, 1226
Book Reviews The Chemistry of Alberta Oil Sands Bitumens and Heavy Oils. Written by O. P. Strausz and Elizabeth M. Lown. Published by Alberta Energy Research Institute (www. aeri.ab.ca.), Calgary T2P 3W2, Alberta, Canada, 2003, 695 pp. ISBN 0778530965. Price: 200.00 Cdn$. Shipping and Handling: Local, $3.00; Elsewhere in Canada, $15.00; United States, $20.00; International, $25.00. The main focus of this major textbook is on the chemistry of the Alberta oil sands, bitumens, and heavy oils; nevertheless, it provides an excellent complement to the general study of petroleum chemistry. This is not merely another book on crude oil chemistry; it is a major source of knowledge on the manner in which modern fractionation and degradation techniques may be combined with the high resolving power of modern instrumentation to monitor the changes that occur at various stages in the processing of crude oils, as well as those which occur in organic matter in sedimentary rocks over geologic time. The book is designed to provide the chemical foundation on which to build professional education training courses related to the needs of the Canadian petroleum industry and to supply the chemical background needed by the process engineer, which must be considered in the development of new technology. It will also be of interest to environmental chemists who are involved with organic discharges. A long chapter is devoted to the special role of the asphaltene fraction in governing the physical and chemical properties of Alberta heavy oils and bitumens. The special issues related to oil sand processing that arise from the combined trace minerals, dissolved gases, connate water, and unrelated organic matter attached to the mineral materials are thoroughly treated. The described work on the determination of the biomarkers and their concentrations and ratios illustrates the power of this information to rank the oils in order of the degree of the biodegradation and to indicate the thermal maturity status of the oil. This information also suggests a hypersaline marine environment and carbonate source rock for the original oil. This will be of interest to the organic geochemist who is supporting exploration programs.
New information is presented on methods for the removal of adsorbed resinous material from the asphaltene, which produces a much better chemically defined core. The chemistry of the core, as revealed by thermal degradation, the naphthalene anion, and nickel boride reduction show the role that the oxygen and sulfur linkages have in holding major segments together. The size of these segments places an upper limit on the size of the aromatic clusters within them. The oxidative degradation by Ru ions of the asphaltene core provides insights into the nature of the alkyl bridges that link the aromatic rings and the type of substitution on the rings. This unveils the unifying principle that the bulk of the chemical constituents of petroleum asphaltene consists of normal alkanoic-derived hydrocarbons and heterocycles, with minor amounts of pigments, terpenoids, and other biotic material. The attached biomarkers in the core are less biodegraded than those in the associated maltene fraction, which illustrates the capacity of the core to protect the biomarkers from biodegradation and the catalytic action of the clays. The complexity of the inorganic and organic matter requires the application of many different separation techniques and, in some cases, degradation methods that are supported by modern instrumental analytical equipment to gain the chemical structural information necessary to understand the source of process difficulties and provide geological insights. The authors have gone to considerable lengths to provide the appropriate chemical background to interpret the results obtained by the chemical methods and instruments used. To achieve this undertaking, copious references are supplied with numerous appendices, summaries, and an index to aid the student. In essence, this book contains the basic chemical knowledge of the oil resources needed to support the future development of the oil sand and heavy oil industry in Canada. Douglas S. Montgomery, Former head of the Fuels Division of CANMET, Energy Mines and Resources, Canada EF040010B 10.1021/ef040010b
