Arsenic in Crude Oil
| Oil Type |
Total Arsenic (ppb) |
| Alemein |
2.4 |
| Alberta |
2.4 to 111 |
| California |
63 to 1112 |
| Libya |
77 - 343 |
| Louisiana |
46 |
| Venezuela |
20 - 284 |
| Wyoming |
111 |
| Distillation Cut |
Percent of Total |
Distillation Cut |
ppm |
| Total |
20 ppm (Venezuela) |
|
4.6 ppm (Shale Oil) |
| Desalter |
15 |
Naphtha |
< DL |
| LVO |
4 |
Light Distillate |
1.4 |
| HVO |
25 |
Heavy Distillate |
4.4 |
| Residuum |
56 |
Residuum |
2 |
Tang, W. T., J. Gumulka and P. Y. Sun, 1994. Source Control and Treatment of Contaminants Found in Petroleum Tank Bottoms. API Publication No. 4606. American Petroleum Institute. Washington, D.C.
Arsenic in Shale Oil
In oil shale retorting processes, arsenic compounds in the
shale sublime or pyrolyze into volatile organo-arsenic
components. These volatile arsenic compounds condense with
the higher molecular weight hydrocarbons. When oil shale is
retorted, the concentration of arsenic in the produced crude
shale oil is usually in the range from about 25 to about 100
parts per million by weight (ppmw). When shale oil is
refined, arsenic compounds cause irreversible poisoning of
expensive catalysts.
|
