History of the oil shale industry

Production of oil shale in millions of metric tons, from 1880 to 2010. Source: Pierre Allix, Alan K. Burnham.[1]

The history of the oil shale industry started in ancient times. The modern industrial use of oil shale for oil extraction dates to the mid-19th century and started growing just before World War I because of the mass production of automobiles and trucks and the supposed shortage of gasoline for transportation needs. Between the World Wars oil shale projects were begun in several countries.[2]

After World War II, the oil shale industry declined due to increased accessibility to conventional crude oil.[a] As of 2010, oil shale was commercially used in Estonia, China and Brazil, while several countries are considering to start or restart commercial use of oil shale.[2]

  1. ^ Allix, Pierre; Burnham, Alan K. (2010-12-01). "Coaxing Oil from Shale". Oilfield Review. 22 (4). Schlumberger: 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  2. ^ a b Dyni (2010), pp. 103–122


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