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The paper introduces the landscape assessment approach for the post-mining landscapes in the Estonian oil shale open-cast mines. Typologies of mining landscapes are based on landscape pattern, features and functions predetermined by mining technologies. The open-cast mines which have been predominantly subjected to monofunctional reforestation should direct to diversification of landscape and its functions to enrich biodiversity and public uses. Despite controversial approaches and image on mining landscapes reasons for higher appraisal and multifunctional use of mining areas are argued. Preserving heritage-valued mining landscapes could be applied using integrated physical planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major sources of heavy metal pollution in Estonia are oil shale industry and oil shale combustion. There is an utmost need to monitorsoil pollution with heavy metals in this region. Earthworms are good accumulators of heavy metals and can be used as bioindicators. Endogeic species Aporrectodea caliginosa and Aporrectodea rosea as well as anecic species Lumbricus terrestris are good bioindicators for Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions in soils contaminated by oil waste or fly ash because of the high level of accumulation of these metals in their tissues. Electrochemical methods were used for the determination of heavy metal ions in earthworms as the amount of the sample needed for the analytical work is from 10 to 100 times smaller, when compared to the traditional methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the topics discussed at the 3rd International Oil Shale Symposium held at the Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) in Estonia from June 8-11, 2009 is presented. Topics include oil shale as an energy resource, the role of oil shale in the economy, and the effect of oil shale waste on the environment. Participants include Andres Siirde, professor of TUT, Peep Sürje, rector of TUT and Juhan Parts, Minister of Economy and Communications.

Because the crude oil market is not perfectly competitive, the choice of currency is relevant for real oil prices in different markets. The euro has taken the brunt of the dollar depreciation, so that oil prices in recent years have been more stable in euros than in dollars. Stability makes the euro a more attractive currency for storing value, also for oil exporters. Therefore, the euro should replace the dollar as the as the unit of account, the standard of value in contracts and the medium of exchange; in brief, oil should be priced and traded in euros. The counter-argument is that international oil trading is based on the dollar, not only for crude oil, but also for refined products that ultimately are sold in local currencies; this provides a transparent and efficient oil market. The present dollar oil trading imposes a currency risk and ensuing costs on non-US agents in the market are often seen as unreasonable. Further depreciation would most likely undermine the position of the dollar in oil trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenolics’ occurrence in surface water of the Dniester river basin (West Ukraine) with the definition of the natural background is studied. The main attention is given to the Upper Dniester basin and its tributary Stryj as the parts of the Sub-Carpathian oil- and gas province with the numerous objects of oil industry. The total amount of phenolics in water is studied. Phenolics’ concentrations from the first micrograms to the first milligrams per litre have been found in the surface water of the region. The natural background is defined as 0.012 mg l−1 for the areas out of the industrial influence. The anthropogenic part of phenolics is caused mainly by oil industry. The oil-producing objects provide the main phenolics’ releases in the region, due to the low protection level of mechanical facilities as well as to breach of technological norms on the oil-extracting objects. A man-made pollution of the basin water has a regional character and the natural self-purification processes seem to be insufficient for its neutralisation on the plains in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method of non-hydrofining is proposed to improve the stability of diesel fraction of Fushun shale oil. The experimental results show that solvent extraction is efficiently selective to remove nitrogen-, oxygen-, and sulfur-containing compounds. At the temperature of 10-30 °C, diesel fraction is continuously extracted by using the 7-10% additive-containing solvent three times at the ratio of solvent to oil of 0.2. Thereafter, the oil layer is washed by aqueous alkali and water. The recovery of refined oil is more than 75%, and the gum content is less than 70 mg/100 mL. All other parameters meet the requirements of quality specification of diesel product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is suggested that there are about 86 million t (at Kiviõli 12.5, Kohtla-Järve 70.7 and Narva 3.0 million t) oil-shale semi-coke and coke deposited in the Estonian landfills since 1921. However, there is no explanation how these volumes were calculated and no data about the volumes of semi-coke formed at Vanamõisa, Kohtla-Nõmme and Sillamäe. According to the calculations based on operation of processing units, 74.7% of dry spent oil shale deposited in Estonia is located at Kohtla-Järve. These deposits (83.22 million t) consist of semi-coke and coke, 48.75 and 34.47, respectively. At Kiviõli mostly semi-coke is deposited 19.2 million t (17.2%). Ash-like spent shale is deposited at Narva (4.34 million t, 3.9%), the landfills of other locations at Vanamõisa, Kohtla-Nõmme and Sillamäe hold 2.77, 1.09 and 0.7 million t of SC (2.5, 1.0 and 0.7%), respectively. This paper presents a method for calculation the volume of spent shale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fly ash -- a by-product of oil shale processing -- was converted into zeolite by alkali hydrothermal activation using sodium hydroxide. Activation was performed at different temperatures using 1, 3 and 8 M sodium hydroxide. The cation-exchange capacity of zeolite obtained showed that the best conditions for synthesis in a closed reactor are: 8 M NaOH solution, 160 °C and reaction time 24 h. The produced zeolite was used as ion exchanger for cleaning wastewater from metal ions. Zinc was chosen as the test metal. The adsorption capacity measured was 89 mg zinc per g zeolite. The results were correlated using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm equations, the latter showing a multilayer adsorption. Kinetics of adsorption proved that the rate of adsorption increases with increasing solution pH, temperature, agitation speed and zeolite mass, and decreasing particle size and solution initial concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the nearest years the pollution charge for semi-coke will increase almost 1.7 times, which makes the production of shale oil economically unprofitable. This urges enterprises of shale oil industry to seek intensively for possibilities for turning semi-coke less hazardous for the environment. The joint-stock company Kiviõli Chemical Industries has started to use semi-coke and sphagnum peat (volume rates 1 : 1) for producing recultivation substance. It could be applied for covering waste dumps and oil shale ash dumps, as a growth substrate in recultivation of old gravel pits and abandoned oil shale surface mines, as well as for improving soil characteristics and for increasing the yield of plants in agriculture. The current paper provides an overview of the effect of recultivation substance and the composts produced from it on the soil, the yield of field crops and the environment. It is compiled on the basis of the results of the experiments carried out at the Estonian Agricultural University in 2002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1993, as a joint effort of Eesti Energia and Foster Wheeler a pilot test program was established to determine key parameters for combustion of Estonian oil shale in fluidized-bed boilers. It was concluded that combustion of Estonian oil shale in a circulating fluidized-bed boiler can be successful if the following key points have been understood and taken into account in boiler design: attrition of the fuel and ash; fouling of convection heat surfaces; chlorine corrosion at high temperatures. This paper tells how the key problems above were solved and implemented in the new fluid-bed combustion boiler design for Narva power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ash fields of Estonian oil-shale-fired power plants, especially ash hydrotransport system with its large amounts of high-alkaline waters, may cause great damage to the environment. The situation is particularly bad at the Baltic Power Plant whose ash fields and sediment ponds occupy more than ten square kilometers. The samples taken from the 2nd ash field were studied to determine their structure, pressure resistance and water filtration ability. Ash field material has a stratified structure, all layers contain Ca(OH)2 which, contacting with water, makes the latter highly alkaline. According to preliminary calculations, the ash field material binds only 10-20 % of CO2 emitted at oil shale burning. Disconnection of the 2nd ash field from the ash field water-sluicing system would be the first and most practical way to re-duce the amount of water to be added to the water system of ash fields. Ca(OH)2 content of ash field material must be considered when making the projects for the 2nd ash field recultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper history, current status and forecast of Chinese oil shale industry, as well as the characteristics of some typical Chinese oil shales are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing of oil shale in Estonia was started in the 1920s. Since 1924 to the present time the technology of processing large-particle oil shale in vertical retorts with gaseous heat carrier, and since 1980 that of processing fine-grained oil shale with solid heat carrier are in operation. To assess the quality of oil shale the standard Fischer assay method (heating in aluminum retort to temperatures 500-520°C) is used. For oil shales of all deposits of the world at this temperature the thermal decomposition of organic matter is completed, but practically no decomposition of the mineral portion of oil shale takes place. At commercial realization of oil shale processing the yield and the quality of products depend on many factors: oil shale particle size, methods of heat in-put, kind of heat carrier and its temperature, duration of retorting, and also on secondary processes which proceed inside the oil shale particle and in the interparticle space, and others. The comparison of various known technologies for processing oil shales is made, and a possible theoretical foundation of process features is given. An estimation of the impact of the process on the environment is also discussed. As a result directions for the further development of existing technologies are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A description is given of the oil shale retorting process by solid heat carrier technology (UTT-3000 retort at the Oil Factory of Narva Elektrijaamad AS). Data are presented of the start-up period and operation of commercial retorts and of future developments as well as of products manufactured by the Oil Factory and of the current shale oil market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the lessons learned from the restructuring of the coal industries in central and eastern Europe and its application to the restructuring of Estonia's oil shale industry. Similarities between the two industries; Information on the coal industries restructuring; Characteristics of the successful policies in the coal industry restructuring.

Discusses oil shale resources and its usage in Estonia. Estimated amount of oil shale reserves in the world; Characteristics of Estonian oil shale; Main goal of Estonian oil shale studies.

The purpose of this study was to create a simple mathematical model to describe as well as possible the structure of a mining enterprise. The model differs from previous ones in some methodical complements and describes better the current situation in the oil shale industry. In the model expenses are divided into variable and fixed costs for each mining enterprise. Several calculations have been made to optimize sale of oil shale for both power industry and oil producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a synthesis of the Oil Shale Symposium held in Tallinn, Estonia from November 18 and 19, 2002. Resources of oil shale; Generation of power and heat from oil shale; Details of the chemistry and technology used in the international oil shale production.

In the North-East of Estonia, the landscape is contrasting: different natural and man-made landforms exist together. In this area, oil shale mining and processing have essentially changed the landscape, and as a result, different man-made industrial landscape forms have come into being. The attitude of local inhabitants towards the heritage of oil shale industry has been traditionally negative. Nevertheless, the artificial "mountainous" and "hilly" relief offers also a positive effect, having some expressive image in the background of the natural plain landscape forms. For protection of cultural landscapes from damages, 32 landscapes that are more valuable were selected, whereat the historical, cultural, natural, recreational, aesthetic, scientific, etc. factors were taken into account. In the future, a special stewardship for more attractive areas will be worked out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of a potential slow-release potassium fertilizer (SRKF) from discharge from the Brazilian oil-shale industrialization process (PETROSIX) is described in this study. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy data were used to indicate the best temperature for the synthesis of the fertilizer (900 °C). X-ray powder diffraction and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data are compatible with a structure belonging to the metastable silicate kalsilite group, α-K2MgSi3O8. The solubility of the product, expressed as a percentage of K2O, was 30.3% (in HCl 0.5 mol/l), 23.2% (in citric acid 0.1 mol/l), and 6.9% (in H2O). These results are similar or better than those reported for other SRKFs prepared by alternative methods. The use of oil-shale fines and lime shale as starting materials for the synthesis of soil fertilizers may help to avoid waste disposal problems and lower production costs of the Brazilian oil-shale industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the second International Oil Shale Conference in Jordan in 2018 by Al-Balqa Applied University. It discusses the several research papers on topics including technology developments to petroleum research and application; impacts of the technological innovations on the crude oil prices.