ORGANIC AND MINERALOGIC FACTORS INFLUENCING GREEN RIVER OIL-SHALE METHANE EMISSIONS

Potential influences on methane emissions from the Green River oil shale were tested. The factors investigated in this study were: 1. thermal maturity, 2. total organic carbon (TOC), 3. organic matter composition, and 4. mineral matter composition. Analyses conducted include maceral reflectance (R0), qualitative and quantitative fluorescence petrography, TOC testing, modified Fisher assay, Rock-Eval pyrolysis and quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD). Yellow lamalginite content was directly related to methane content. Methane content was more highly correlated to yellow lamalginite than any other factor. TOC did not influence the methane contents of the samples. Thermal maturation did not control methane emissions because no thermal variation was measured in the sample suite. The altered maceral group (AMG) played no significant role in methane production from the samples. Stepwise linear multivariate regressions were performed to combine and equate variables to methane content.