Patent ID: 8366917

Claim:
A method of recovering minerals from hydrocarbonaceous materials prior to, simultaneous with or subsequent to removing hydrocarbons therefrom, comprising: a) forming a constructed permeability control infrastructure which defines a substantially encapsulated volume, said infrastructure comprising clay, bentonite clay, bentonite amended soil, compacted fill, refractory cement, cement, synthetic geogrids, fiberglass, rebar, nanocarbon fullerene additives, filled geotextile bags, polymeric resins, oil resistant PVC liners, engineered cementitious composites (ECC), fiber reinforced composites, geosynthetic fabrics, sealant, grout, or combinations thereof: b) introducing a comminuted hydrocarbonaceous material into the control infrastructure to form a permeable body of hydrocarbonaceous material; c) contacting said body of hydrocarbonaceous material with an agent wherein one or more minerals are removed by said agent; and d) passing said removed minerals and agent outside of said encapsulated volume.