What are tar sands and why are they a problem?
Tar sands extraction emits up to three times more global warming pollution than does producing the same quantity of conventional crude. It also depletes and pollutes freshwater resources and creates giant ponds of toxic waste. Refining the sticky black substance produces piles of petroleum coke, a hazardous by-product.
What are the advantages of tar sands?
The Pros of Tar Sands
- It provides a localized economic benefit.
- It is a secure source of energy.
- Environmental changes can be repaired.
- Recipients of tar sands experience economic benefits.
- Land preservation efforts can occur simultaneously with tar sands operations.
- It fits into existing systems.
Are oil sands and tar sands the same?
Tar sands (also known as oil sands) are a mixture of mostly sand, clay, water, and a thick, molasses-like substance called bitumen. Bitumen is made of hydrocarbons—the same molecules in liquid oil—and is used to produce gasoline and other petroleum products.
Is tar sands oil dirty?
Tar sands oil is some of the dirtiest oil in the world. One of the byproducts is petcoke, or petroleum coke. It’s a coal-like substance that builds up in piles in refineries that process tar sands, and those petcoke piles pose major health risks to the communities that surround them.
How can we stop the tar sands?
The Solutions:
- Cap tar sands pollution: Tar sands climate pollution cannot continue to grow indefinitely.
- Reduce our use of fossil fuels:
- Apply a climate test:
- Clean up the damage:
What are some environmental drawbacks to mining tar sands?
Besides helping push us toward global warming catastrophe, oil shale and tar sands development destroys species habitat, wastes enormous volumes of water, pollutes air and water, and degrades and defiles vast swaths of land.
Where does the tar sand oil go?
Once extracted, the bitumen is refined. Some refining is done within the oil sands region or other Alberta refineries, but most is sent to refineries all over North America via pipeline, rail or marine transport.
Is fracking used for tar sands?
So as tar sands producers gear up for massive expansions of their high carbon production, more and more of the condensate produced from fracking is being exported to Canada to facilitate the transportation of bitumen to American refineries.
Where is the world’s largest tar sands located?
northeastern Alberta, Canada
The Athabasca oil sands, also known as the Athabasca tar sands, are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern Alberta, Canada – roughly centred on the boomtown of Fort McMurray….
| Athabasca oil sands | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 57.02°N 111.65°W |
Does Canada use tar sands?
Deep in western Canada, on lands where Indigenous communities have lived since time immemorial, sit the Alberta tar sands. The tar sands are vast oil fields and mines in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Is Sagd better for environment?
Economically and environmentally, SAGD is a major advance compared to California-style steam processes: it uses about 30% less steam (hence water and emissions) for the same oil recovery; it recovers more of the oil in place; and its surface impact is modest.
How does oil sands affect water?
Oil sands development consumes large amounts of water and energy—currently, two to five barrels of water (natural sources and recycled water) are required for every barrel of oil produced by mining—and produces byproducts such as contaminated tailings.
Where do tar sands get refined?
They are concentrated in Alberta, where tar sands crude is produced, but also in Sarnia, Ontario. Small quantities of tar sands crude are refined in Vancouver and some in Saskatchewan.
Is fracking better than tar sands?
Fracking extracts oil and gas from deep within shale and other types of rock, and can poison or pollute water in the areas where it is done. Tar sands mining inflicts immense environmental impact for relatively little reward.
How much tar sands are left?
About 15% of this is currently recoverable, which amounts to about 75% of the petroleum reserves in North America. Only recently (with dramatic changes in the way the world views oil reserves) these oil sands have come to be included in the tally of global petroleum reserves.