EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF CHEMICAL-TRANSFORMATIONS OF AROMATIC-COMPOUNDS IN SEDIMENTS

Hydrous pyrolysis of naphthalene, methylnaphthalenes, dimethylnaphthalenes, and dibenzothiophene has been carried out in the presence of montmorillonite, illite, and chlorite at 235-335°C for 48 h. More than 60% of the organic material was bound so strongly to the inorganic matrix that isolation was impossible. The extractable compounds were recovered starting material and products formed by alkylation, dealkylation, and isomerization of the starting material. The composition of the pyrolyzate was influenced by the temperature and the type of clay mineral. K-montmorillonite and illite exhibit more pronounced absorptive and catalytic effects than Na-montmorillonite and chlorite. © 1990.