Disposal of spent oil shale and other materials

摘要

A process is provided for retorting synthetic fuels, such as oil shale, and disposing of the tailings in an environmentally acceptable manner. In the process, raw synthetic fuels are retorted in a surface retort to produce synthetic oil. The synthetic oil is dedusted and upgraded. The retorted synthetic fuels can be combusted and moisturized to generate heat for the retort, produce steam, and facilitate handling of the residual waste material (tailings). A disposal site of spent synthetic fuels, spent upgrading catalyst, dust, and/or other material is formed with vapor breaks at one or more levels in the pile. Air is passed through the vapor breaks to evaporate leachate rather than permitting the leachate to carry pollutants from the pile into the ground and surrounding bodies of water.