Temperature effects on supercritical carbon dioxide extractions of hydrocarbons from geological samples

The extraction of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons from New Albany Shale by supercritical carbon dioxide at different extraction temperatures is described. The main goal of this work was to determine the effect of the temperature on the extraction process (i.e. relative extraction rate and efficiency). The data suggest that temperature changes of 20 and 40 degrees for the relatively moderate extraction temperatures tested (55, 75, and 95°C), can have significant effects on both relative extraction rates and yields. While lower molecular weight aromatics presented exponential extraction profiles, similar to those of the aliphatic hydrocarbons, higher molecular weight aromatics, such as the phenanthrenes, showed a linear extraction profile. This behavior cannot be explained by solubility differences in the supercritical fluid alone, and are, therefore, most likely based on differences in the speciation of the hydrocarbons within the sample matrix. Extractions at elevated temperatures (300°C) resulted in significant increments in the relative recoveries of all compounds, but particularly for the aromatic hydrocarbons. This may be caused by structural rearrangement of the sample matrix with subsequent release of trapped hydrocarbons and possibly by C-S and S-S bond breakage.