page_title: History of the oil shale industry
section_title: Start of the modern industry
hierarchical_section_title: History of the oil shale industry / Start of the modern industry
caption_attribution_description: English: The Albyn, Faucheldean and Greendykes shale bings with the outskirts of Broxburn in the foreground and the Firth of Forth and Ochil Hills in the distance. Français&#160;: Les crassiers de schistes d'Albyn, de Faucheldean et de Greendykes dans la périphérie de Broxburn au premier plan avec à l'horizon les collines d'Ochil (Ochil Hills), à quelques kilomètres à l'ouest d'Édimbourg en Écosse
context_page_description: 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.
  After World War II, the oil shale industry declined due to increased accessibility to conventional crude oil. 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.
context_section_description: The modern industrial use of oil shale for oil extraction started in France, where oil shale commercial mining began in Autun in 1837.  The shale oil production started in 1838 by using Selligue process, invented by Alexander Selligue.  In 1846 the Canadian physician and geologist Abraham Gesner invented a process for retorting an illuminating liquid from coal, bitumen and oil shale.  In 1847 the Scottish chemist James Young prepared "lighting oil," lubricating oil and wax from cannel coal and since 1862 from torbanite.  In 1850 he patented the process of retorting and refining shale oil and purifying paraffin wax from it.  Commercial scale shale oil extraction from lamosite started in 1859 by Robert Bell in Broxburn, West Lothian. After the expiry of Young's patent in 1862 many small shale oil works were opened.  By 1865, there were about 120 shale oil works in Scotland. In 1866 Young established Young's Paraffin Light and Mineral Oil Company at Addiewell. Other notable shale oil companies were the Broxburn Oil Company established in 1878 and the Pumpherston Oil Company established in 1892.
  In the United States early oil-shale industry concentrated on the eastern oil shale deposits.  An oil distillery was built in 1855 at Breckinridge County, Kentucky to produce oil from locally mined cannel coal. By the following year it was producing 600 to 700 US gallons per day (2.3 to 2.6 m³/d). In 1860, there were 55 companies in the United States extracting oil from locally mined cannel coal.  Commercial-scale shale oil extraction, other than cannel coal processing, began at shale oil retorts using the Devonian oil shale along the Ohio River Valley in 1857.  However, the discovery of cheap and abundant petroleum in the same region, starting with the Drake Oil Well at Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, put the American oil shale industry out of business by 1860.  The largest deposit, Green River Formation, was accidentally discovered in 1874 but not utilized until beginning of the 20th century.
  In 1857, oil shale industry started in Germany.  In Canada, the Craigleith Shale Oil Works started to retort oil shale of the Ordovician Whitby Formation near Collingwood, Ontario, on Lake Huron in 1859.  In 1861 it became economically infeasible due to the discovery of petroleum nearby.
  In Australia, the first oil shale mine was commenced in 1865 at American Creek, Mount Kembla in New South Wales. At the same year, the first shale oil was produced by the Pioneer Kerosene Works at American Creek.  A number of other mines and shale oil plants were opened in New South Wales; however, in the beginning of the 20th century they were closed due to the import of cheaper crude oil.
  In Austria, oil shale was used in 1840–1882 for production of asphalt mastic, naphtha and asphalt tar. In Sweden, the first attempt to extract oil from alum shale was made in 1864.  Shale oil production started in the 1890s and lasted few years.  In Brazil, oil shale was first exploited in 1884 in Bahia.  In 1900 shale oil extraction industry was initiated also in New Zealand.
  In 1894, the Pumpherston retort (also known as the Bryson retort) was invented, which is considered as a separation of the oil shale industry from the coal industry.  It stayed in use until 1938.
  Operations during the 19th century focused on the production of kerosene, lamp oil, and paraffin wax; these products helped supply the growing demand for lighting that arose during the Industrial Revolution.  Fuel oil, lubricating oil and grease, and ammonium sulfate were also produced.
caption: Three of West Lothian's shale bings - reminders of the industry pioneered in Scotland by James "Paraffin" Young.
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