The characteristics of bound biomarkers released from asphaltenes in a sequence of naturally biodegraded oils

摘要

Highlights ? Flash pyrolysis was employed to release the bound biomarkers from asphaltenes. ? Bound biomarkers in asphaltenes show little alteration during biodegradation. ? Bound biomarker profiles can represent oils at an early and low maturity stage. ? Correlation studies can be made by comparisons of asphaltene pyrolysates. Abstract Previous studies have showed that the hydrocarbon biomarkers bound in asphaltenes can preserve original geochemical information during subsequent thermal alteration and