Timahdit oil shale deposit
Location
LocationTimahdite
RegionFès-Meknès
CountryMorocco
Production
ProductsOil shale

The Timahdit oil shale deposit is an oil shale deposit located about 240 kilometres (150 mi) southeast of Rabat near Timahdite, Fès-Meknès, Morocco. It is the second largest oil-shale deposit in Morocco.[1][2] Geologically, it comprises two basins: El koubbat and Angueur synclines.[3] The oil shale formation is about 70 kilometres (43 mi) long and 4 to 10 kilometres (2.5 to 6.2 mi) wide. The volume of the El koubbat syncline formation is about 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi); the Angueur syncline area is about 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi).[3][4]

The deposit is estimated to consist of 42 billion tons of oil shale, containing 16.1 billion barrels (2.56×10^9 m3) of shale oil.[1] The oil shale formation's thickness varies from 80 to 250 metres (260 to 820 ft).[3][4] Its moisture content is 6–11% and sulfur content is about 2%. On average it yields 70 litres (15 imp gal; 18 US gal) of shale oil per one ton of oil shale.[4] As the Timahdit deposit is located near Ifrane National Park and Haut-Atlas Oriental National Park, oil extraction is an environmentally sensitive issue.[5]

The Timahdit deposit was discovered during the 1960s.[6] The deposit was researched and tested during the 1970s and 1980s.[1] The Moroccan Office of Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) developed and tested a shale oil extraction process called T3 which in 1984–1986 produced approximately 400 tons of shale oil at Timahdit.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dyni, John R. (2010). "Oil Shale". In Clarke, Alan W.; Trinnaman, Judy A. (eds.). Survey of energy resources (PDF) (22 ed.). World Energy Council. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-946121-02-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  2. ↑ Aboulkas, A.; El Harfi, K. (2008). "Study of the kinetics and mechanisms of thermal decomposition of Moroccan Tarfaya oil shale and its kerogen" (PDF). Oil Shale. A Scientific-Technical Journal. Estonian Academy Publishers. 25 (4): 1–4. doi:10.3176/oil.2008.4.04. ISSN 0208-189X. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  3. 1 2 3 Bencherifa, Mohammed (2009-04-08). Moroccan oil shale research and development. ONHYM's recent strategy (PDF). Regional Cooperation for Clean Utilization of Oil Shale. Dead Sea, Jordan: MED-EMIP. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2012. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  4. 1 2 3 Dyni, John R. (2006). Geology and resources of some world oil-shale deposits. Scientific Investigations Report 2005–5294 (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  5. ↑ "Morocco Oil Shale Deposits, an Alternative Oil Source Following Oil Spill in US Gulf". Morocco Board News Service. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  6. ↑ Sladek, Thomas A. (2010-01-10). Concept Paper for Creating An International Oil Shale Council For the Nations of Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Turkey, and Syria (PDF) (Report). MED-EMIP. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2012. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  7. ↑ Bencherifa, Mohammed; Alami, A. Chakor; Epifanio, Demarco; Mendonça, Augusto; Allix, Pierre; Sabbag, Jean-Nicolas (2008-10-15). Timahdit Oil Shale Deposit Evaluation - Morocco (PDF). 28th Oil Shale Symposium. Golden, Colorado. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
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