Comparative Study of The Method Of Oil Extraction From Bemolanga Oil Sand From Madagascar

This study seeks to determine the best way to extract oil from Bemolanga tar sands. The study was carried out using an experimental design. Solid-liquid extraction method using Soxhlet were performed in order to optimize the extraction of asphalt content in Bemolangatar sands and reduce its environmental impact. Two solvents were used: Chloroform and TetraChloroEthylene (TCE). Regarding the choice of solvent, chloroform offers the best of 98.42% extraction yield of which 90.32% of  sand and 8.10% of oil compared to97.17% of TCE yield including 89.42% of sand and 7.77% of oil. The residue obtained from the operation is free of impurity and the operation itself has minimum side effect in the environment. Environmental impact was reduced due to the fact that oil was kept in Soxhlet, and nobody was harmed. With a density ranging between 16° API and 21° API, the oil was classified as heavy oil. The obtained fraction of diesel reached more than 50% on average with minimum fraction of petrol and kerosene. The Soxhlet extraction method is identified as an ideal method for extracting oil from Bemolanga sandstone in the laboratory. The practice of this method on an industrial scale would be difficult due to the high cost of products and equipment. Nevertheless, this operation could be considered as a future pillar of Madagascar's economy with good management of resources. This operation is possible only if a way is found to optimize the extraction of bitumen from Bemolanga sandstone while keeping its main properties and protecting the environment. Indeed, the use of Soxhlet is environmentally safe but the use of solvent such as TCE and chloroform represents a considerable risk to the environment. Therefore, an implementation of new mining technology combined with a reasonable cost of operation and an environmentally safe system is the key success for a profitable Bemolanga tar sands exploitation.