History of The Oil Shale Industry - Start of The Modern Industry

Start of The Modern Industry

The modern industrial use of oil shale for oil extraction started in France, where oil shale commercial mining began in Autun in 1837. The shale oil production started in 1838 by using Selligue process, invented by Alexander Selligue. In 1846 the Canadian physician and geologist Abraham Gesner invented a process for retorting an illuminating liquid from coal, bitumen and oil shale. In 1847 the Scottish chemist James Young prepared "lighting oil," lubricating oil and wax from cannel coal and since 1862 from torbanite. In 1850 he patented the process of cracking oil.

Commercial scale shale oil extraction in Scotland started in 1859 by Robert Bell in Broxburn, West Lothian. About the same time Germany began exploiting its deposits. During the second half of the 19th century shale oil extraction industries were initiated also in Sweden, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In the United States, the commercial scale shale oil extraction began in 1857 at shale oil retorts retorting the Devonian oil shale along the Ohio River Valley. In Canada, the Craigleith Shale Oil Works started to retort oil shale of the Ordovician Whitby Formation near Collingwood, Ontario, on Lake Huron, in 1859. However, after crude oil discovery in Pennsylvania in 1859, the United States and Canadian oil shale industries found it difficult to compete and they were shut down by 1861.

In Australia, the first oil shale mine was commenced in 1865 at American Creek, Mount Kembla in New South Wales. At the same year, the first shale oil was produced by the Pioneer Kerosene Works at American Creek. A number of other mines and shale oil plants were opened in New South Wales; however, in the beginning of the 20th century they were closed due to the import of cheaper crude oil. In Brazil, oil shale was first exploited in 1884 in Bahia.

In 1894, the Pumpherston retort (also known as the Bryson retort) was invented, which is considered as a separation of the oil shale industry from the coal industry. It stayed in use until 1938.

Operations during the 19th century focused on the production of kerosene, lamp oil, and paraffin wax; these products helped supply the growing demand for lighting that arose during the Industrial Revolution. Fuel oil, lubricating oil and grease, and ammonium sulfate were also produced.