Influence of Organic Matter Thermal Maturity on Rare Earth Element Distribution: A Study of Middle Devonian Black Shales from the Appalachian Basin, USA

Shailee Bhattacharya (), Shikha Sharma, Vikas Agrawal, Michael C. Dix, Giovanni Zanoni, Justin E. Birdwell, Albert S. Wylie and Tom Wagner
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Shailee Bhattacharya: Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, 98 Beechurst Ave, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Shikha Sharma: Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, 98 Beechurst Ave, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Vikas Agrawal: Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, 98 Beechurst Ave, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Michael C. Dix: Independent Researcher, 3414 Beauchamp Street, Houston, TX 77009, USA
Giovanni Zanoni: RohmTek, 6721 Portwest Drive, Suite 100, Houston, TX 77024, USA
Justin E. Birdwell: U.S. Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, Box 25046 MS 977, Denver, CO 80225, USA
Albert S. Wylie: Independent Researcher, P.O. Box 380, Mohawk, MI 49950, USA
Tom Wagner: Coterra Energy Inc., 2000 Park Lane, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA 15275, USA

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: This study focuses on understanding the association of rare earth elements (REE; lanthanides + yttrium + scandium) with organic matter from the Middle Devonian black shales of the Appalachian Basin. Developing a better understanding of the role of organic matter (OM) and thermal maturity in REE partitioning may help improve current geochemical models of REE enrichment in a wide range of black shales. We studied relationships between whole rock REE content and total organic carbon (TOC) and compared the correlations with a suite of global oil shales that contain TOC as high as 60 wt.%. The sequential leaching of the Appalachian shale samples was conducted to evaluate the REE content associated with carbonates, Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides, sulfides, and organics. Finally, the residue from the leaching experiment was analyzed to assess the mineralogical changes and REE extraction efficiency. Our results show that heavier REE (HREE) have a positive correlation with TOC in our Appalachian core samples. However, data from the global oil shales display an opposite trend. We propose that although TOC controls REE enrichment, thermal maturation likely plays a critical role in HREE partitioning into refractory organic phases, such as pyrobitumen. The REE inventory from a core in the Appalachian Basin shows that (1) the total REE ranges between 180 and 270 ppm and the OM-rich samples tend to contain more REE than the calcareous shales; (2) there is a relatively higher abundance of middle REE (MREE) to HREE than lighter REE (LREE); (3) there is a disproportionate increase in Y and Tb with TOC likely due to the rocks being over-mature; and (4) the REE extraction demonstrates that although the OM has higher HREE concentration, the organic leachates contain more LREE, suggesting it is more challenging to extract HREE from OM than using traditional leaching techniques.

Keywords: rare earth elements; organic matter; thermal maturity; black shales; Appalachian Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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