Acid-base bifunctional porous organic polymers as efficient catalysts for oil shale upgrading

Oil shale is a promising unconventional energy source whose processed oil products exhibit a H/C ratio comparable to that of crude oil. This study introduced a purely organic acid-base bifunctional porous material, HCP-BBA-S, and conducted a comprehensive investigation of its catalytic performance in the hydrothermal pyrolysis of oil shale under near-critical water conditions. Upon incorporation of the HCP-BBA-S catalyst, shale oil yield increased by 4.61–19.22 %, accompanied by a shift in oil composition towards lower carbon numbers and lower boiling points. Oxygen content in the products decreased significantly, improving oil quality and calorific value. Under optimized conditions, shale oil yield reached 41.85 %, with an H/C atomic ratio of 1.8 and a calorific value of 41.42 MJ/kg. These results highlight HCP-BBA-S as a highly effective catalyst for enhancing both the yield and quality of shale oil, offering a sustainable approach to unconventional energy resource utilization.