Objective
THIS PROJECT SHOULD ESTABLISH THE ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF THE USE OF LIGHT HYDROCARBONS LITHOGEOCHEMISTRY FOR A WIDE RANGE OF MINERAL DEPOSIT.
A new lithogeochemical exploration tool has been developed for use in the exploitation of hidden base metal deposits. The new method involves the uses chromatographic analysis of volatile organic compounds released by rocks.
The discovery of anomalously high amounts of methane in rocks adjacent to mineralization in the Northern Pennines Orefield led to the examination of a new lithogeochemical exploration tool for hidden based metal deposits. The method, based on the chromatographic analysis of the volatile organic compounds released by heating the rocks in sealed tubes was first tested on the site of the initial findings and later on deposits in Ireland and in other European countries.
Observations concerning the heat extraction process strongly supported the idea that volatile compounds can be strongly held in rocks, under the sorbed state. A comparison of the results provided by various techniques revealed that heating is the most appropriate way to release them effectively. Sorption is also the only process which permits the compounds to remain in the rocks for long periods of time, and also allows them sufficient mobility to migrate form concealed orebodies.
The analytical results were not as precise as expected, giving the conclusion that there is inherent variation in 1 to 4 mm rock fractions which cannot be easily reduced. This is consistent with the irregular distribution of organic matter, which is thought to provide the majority of hydrocarbon sorption sites.
Field studies demonstrated variations in gas signatures in response to mineralizing events, leading to the possibility of detecting corresponding variations in surface rocks. In Liassic sediments of low thermal maturity, higher trace metal levels tended to be associated with increasing proportions of methane. In addition, organic geochemical studies suggested new genetic hypotheses, supplementing or contradicting previous interpretations.
Studies in Carboniferous areas of very high thermal maturity, also pointed to a strong correlation between some hydrocabon species (propyne) and mineralization, be it with known mineral deposits, or with trace metal anomalies, or both. There was no obvious hydrocarbon response to the predominantly vein type mineralization in the Carboniferous rocks of Belgium and the United Kingdom. This difference in response is thought to be a function of deposit size, and could have considerable exploration significance.
SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED FROM THE LOWER CARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONES OF IRELAND AND THE UK, THE VESDRE BASIN IN BELGIUM, FROM THE MINE AREAS OF LES MALINES AND CHESSY IN FRANCE, MEGGEN IN GERMANY, ALMADEN AND CARTAGENA IN SPAIN. LABORATORY STUDIES WILL INCLUDE:
1) DEVELOPMENT OF THE HEAT EXTRACTION TECHNIQUE, TO IMPROVE ANALYTICAL PRECISION;
2) DETAILED TESTS TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON THE ORIGINS OF ANOMALIES AND ON HOW THE GASES ARE HELD IN ROCKS. THESE WILL INCLUDE DETERMINATION OF ORGANIC CARBON CONTENT, ROCK-EVAL PYROLYSIS, CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF BITUMENTS, STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL MARKERS, CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS AND PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF KEROGEN;
3) TRACE ELEMENTS ANALYSIS TO RELATE TRACE METALS TO CONTENTS OF HYDROCARBON GAS AND OTHER ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry volatile organic compounds
- engineering and technology environmental engineering mining and mineral processing
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry hydrocarbons
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences geochemistry organic geochemistry
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Data not available
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Data not available
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
61 Limerick
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.