H-1-NMR AND FTIR SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF BITUMEN AND SHALE OIL FROM SELECTED SPANISH OIL SHALES

Bitumen and shale oils from selected Spanish oil shales that differ in geological age, depositional environment, and source location have be en studied by solution H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourie r transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Both bitumens and shale oils are dominated by aliphatic moieties as it is typically found in kerog ens derived from algal/bacterial material. Several parameters calculat ed from the H-1 NMR and FTIR spectra provide useful information about the maturity of the oil shales in terms of relative aliphatic, aromati c, and carbonyl/carboxyl concentrations, aliphatic chain length, and t ype and degree of substitution of aromatic structures. The best correl ation coefficients between vitrinite reflectance and different FTIR an d NMR parameters were obtained when carbonyl/carboxyl versus;aromatic groups or chain length were considered in the correlations. Results re lated to the composition of bitumen and shale oil suggest that with in crease in maturity the similarity of ens and shale oils increases.