Thermal alteration of biomarkers in the presence of elemental sulfur and sulfur-bearing minerals during hydrous and anhydrous pyrolysis

Although elemental sulfur and sulfur-bearing minerals are not the main constituents of sedimentary rock, they are still important for the formation and destruction of biomarkers. In this study, a bitumen of Sichuan Basin mudstone with abundant biomarkers was separately pyrolyzed (under both hydrous and anhydrous conditions) with elemental sulfur (S0) and sulfur-bearing minerals (including pyrite, ferrous sulfate, and ferric sulfate) at various temperatures (300, 330 and 350 °C). The results show that the effects of different forms of sulfur on the evolution of biomarkers vary. Pyrite (FeS2) had only a slight influence on the characteristics of the biomarkers during anhydrous and hydrous pyrolysis. On the other hand, the presence of S0, ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) and ferric sulfate (Fe2(SO4)3) promoted the thermal cracking of the biomarkers and changed the biomarker distributions under anhydrous conditions. The extent of biomarker thermal alterations decreased in the following order: S0 > Fe2(SO4)3 > FeSO4 > FeS2. Additionally, the presence of water seemed to promote the effects of the sulfur additive on the changes in biomarker compositions, but this did not change their raking in terms of influence. The elemental sulfur alteration of the biomarkers increased with pyrolysis temperature (simulated maturity) and the abundance of elemental sulfur in the sample. The results obtained offer new insights into how biomarkers evolve when elemental sulfur and sulfur-bearing minerals are present.