Oil shale technology

thumb|Burning pieces of wood, showing various stages of pyrolysis, followed by oxidative combustion

thumb| Steps in the hydrogenation of a C=C double bond at a catalyst surface, for example Ni or Pt : (1) The reactants are Adsorption|adsorbed on the catalyst surface and H2 dissociates. (2) An H atom bonds to one C atom. The other C atom is still attached to the surface. (3) A second C atom bonds to an H atom. The molecule leaves the surface.

process for extracting oil from shale rock