Timahdit (Morocco) oil shales: composition and physiochemical properties

The oil shales of Timahdit (Morocco) constitute an important resource in energy. Indeed, the total organic matter is mainly constituted by kerogen. The elementary analysis gives atomic ratios H/C and O/C that are characteristic of a type II kerogen, poorly evolved, constituent of a good mother-rock. The different constituents separated from extractible organic matter by column or thin layer chromatography have been characterized. The analysis of saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons by gas chromatography has proved that the organic matter of the shales of Timahdit is immature, resulting essentially from a phytoplanctonic biomass (marine origin) with a small continental influence. These results have been confirmed by the spectroscopic study of vanadyl and nickel petroporphyrins (DPEP and Etio) isolated from the organic matter of the Timahdit shales. (C) 2001 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.