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Oil shale is composed of between 17 and 25% water and before the oil can be extracted, this moisture needs to be removed. To achieve this, the oil shale passes through a drying plant, like an enormous pizza oven, in which hot air is blown over it at 200 degrees Celsius.

In this experiment, students will reproduce this process and determine just how much water a rock can hold.

This experiment has specific links to the Australian Curriculum Year 8.