Microwave-based recovery of hydrocarbons and fossil fuels

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for decomposing and extracting compositions for the recovery of petroleum-based materials from composites comprising those petroleum-based materials, comprising subjecting the compositions and/or composites to microwave radiation, wherein the microwave radiation is in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz. The present invention also provides for products produced by the methods of the present invention and for apparatuses used to perform the methods of the present invention.

1 . A method for extracting a petroleum-based material from a composition comprising petroleum-based material, comprising:
 subjecting said composition to microwave radiation for a time sufficient to extract said petroleum-based material,   wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 18 GHz.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said microwave radiation comprises one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies is in the range of from about 7.9 and about 8.7 GHz. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said microwave radiation is a sweeping range of microwave radiation frequencies. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the sweeping range of microwave radiation frequencies encompasses one or more pre-selected microwave radiation frequencies. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the range of microwave radiation frequencies is about +/−2 GHz of the pre-selected microwave radiation frequency. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range of microwave radiation frequencies comprises a bandwidth of about 4 GHz. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the C-Band frequency range. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the X-Band frequency range. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the range of from about 5.8 GHz to about 7.0 GHz. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the range of frequencies of said radiation is in the range of from about 7.9 GHz to about 8.7 GHz. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to less than about 12% oxygen. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to less than about 8% oxygen. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising recovering extracted petroleum-based material at a pressure less than one atmosphere. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to an inert gas atmosphere. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said microwave radiation comprises at least one frequency component in the range of from about 4 GHz to about 12 GHz. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to less than atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to a pressure of less than about 40 Torr. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to a pressure of less than 20 Torr. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is exposed to a pressure of less than 5 Torr. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite is heated to the boiling point temperature of said petroleum-based material. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising collecting said petroleum-based material in at least one collection vessel. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite comprises tar sands or oil sands. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite comprises oil shale. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite comprises slurry oil or residual oil. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite comprises oil cuttings. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said composite comprises a mixture of at least two of oils sands, oil shale, slurry oil, and oil cuttings. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transporting said extracted petroleum-based product at a pressure less than one atmosphere to at least one container to collect the extracted petroleum-based material. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising transporting said extracted petroleum-based product at a pressure less than one atmosphere, and refining the petroleum-based product. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises less than 1 percent by weight hydrocarbons based on weight composition after the petroleum-based product has been extracted.