Geochemical significance of sedimentary organic matter associated with inorganic matrix of overburden from Athabasca oil sands deposits

Investigations involving sedimentary organic matter associated with two samples of overburden from Athabasca oil sand deposits in Alberta, Canada will be reported. Organic fractions such as bitumen and strongly adsorbed organic matter insoluble in organic solvents were isolated using methodology used previously. Strongly adsorbed organic matter was demineralised using HCl-HF mineral dissolution scheme reported elsewhere. These fractions were then characterized by elemental analyses, infrared and CP/MAS 13C NMR spectroscopy. Comparisons were then made between the data obtained from this study and the data for humic materials from oil, oil sands and related feedstocks reported previously.NRC publication: Ye