Characterization and beneficiation of the Egyptian black shale for possible extraction of organic matter

The present paper focuses on obtaining concentrate enriched with organic matter that could be suitable for a retorting process from black shale; this is black shale from the Safaga area on the Red Sea Coast. X-ray diffraction and optical polarising microscope are used in evaluating black shale minerals. Attrition scrubbing and flotation were conducted for enrichment of organic matter in the black shale sample. Mineralogical studies revealed that black shale samples contain bituminous calcareous clay stone, quartz, apatite and pyrite. Rabah mine black shale contains 28% organic matter. The results of the different separation techniques indicate that attrition and flotation techniques successively enriched the organic matter in the black shale. The organic matter could be enriched in the black shale and obtained a concentrate with 59% assaying and 85% recovery.