Efficient oil shale recovery method

摘要

The subject matter herein provides a biotic method for recovering one or more hydrocarbons from a feedstock that includes one or more of oil shale, bituminous tar sand, coal and cellulous at atmospheric temperature and pressure. The method comprises loading the feedstock into a container, treating the feedstock in the container with a biomedium of micro-organisms, and forming an essentially liquid mixture from the feedstock and the biomass by rotary tumbling the feedstock and the biomedium in the container. The essentially liquid mixture is then separated into the one or more hydrocarbons by centrifuging.

主权项

1. A method for recovering one or more hydrocarbons from a specific feedstock combination, the specific feedstock combination including fractured oil shale and one or more of tar sand, coal and cellulous, the method comprising:
training microorganisms in a biomedium to metabolize the specific feedstock combination, wherein the microorganisms comprise slime mold; loading the specific feedstock combination into a rotatable container; treating the feedstock in the rotatable container with the biomedium comprising the trained microorganisms; forming an essentially liquid mixture from the feedstock combination by a progressive breaking of the feedstock combination by rotary tumbling the feedstock and by the concurrent metabolization of the feedstock by the trained microorganisms while being tumbled in the rotatable container; and separating the essentially liquid mixture into one or more hydrocarbons, water, the biomedium, and residual inorganic material.