Hydrorefining of Shale Oil.

Studies were made on hydrorefining processes and catalysts for upgrading shale oil to so-called synthetic crude oil, which can be further processed in existing petroleum refinaries. The arsenic present in shale oil was confirmed to poison the hydrorefining catalyst significantly, and a mechanism for deactivation was proposed based on the analytical results of the used catalyst. Reaction conditions and catalysts for concurrent removal of the arsenic and unstable olefinic compounds present were investigated. Furthermore, the nitrogen compounds present in shale oil were classified into three types based on basicity. Hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) reactivity increased in the order: acidic<basic