Аннотация
The cracking and extraction products for Kazakhstan’s oil sand bitumen were determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). By means of this technique, changes in the physical and chemical compositions of natural bitumen occurred during thermal treatment were assessed. The bulk composition was determined and the elemental content of resin-asphaltene compounds evaluated. Microspheres isolated from fly ash after the combustion of coals, were used to catalyze the cracking of natural bitumen. According to elemental analysis, natural bitumen is prone to produce coke formation. Catalytic cracking has a positive effect on the properties of the bitumen obtained from Munaily Mola field. The kinetic reaction orders and activation energies for cracking of natural bitumen were determined fitting the experimental data to an Arrhenius equation. The derived activation energies give insight on the nature of the pyrolysis kinetics of resin-asphaltene.