Conversion of high boiling organic materials to low boiling materials

Abstract

A process for the conversion of high boiling organic materials to lower boiling materials is described. The process comprises contacting said high boiling organic materials under supercritical conditions in a reducing atmosphere with an aqueous acidic medium containing a halogen, a hydrogen halide, a compound which can form a halide or a hydrogen halide in the aqueous acidic medium under the process conditions, or mixtures thereof. Under the supercritical conditions of the process, the high boiling organic materials and aqueous acidic medium form a single phase allowing efficient conversion of the high boiling materials to lower boiling materials. The process of the invention is useful for producing and recovering fuel range liquids from petroleum, coal, oil shale, shale oil, tar sand solids, bitumen and heavy hydrocarbon oils such as crude oil distillation residues. Preferably, the aqueous acidic medium contains a halogen or a hydrogen halide.