Sifting Through “Tar Sands”

The term “tar sands” are somewhat of a misnomer as tar is itself a man-made product from crude oil and does not exist naturally. “Tar sands” are perhaps better referred to as “oil sands” because it is the heavy, extremely viscous, blackest of oils, bitumen that lies naturally beneath the Earth’s surface in a gritty amalgam of clay, sand, and water. Because of its need for extra refining due to its less than hospitable state, tar or oil sands has until now been a sort of “last resort” supply for most countries in conventional oil trade. As oil supplies dwindle across the planet, more and more countries are turning to tar sands for relief, and new technologies are emerging that help make these reserves more recoverable.

Of the nations of the world, Canada stands alone currently as having the most developed tar sands industry, seeing production of nearly a million barrels of synthetic oil daily. This represents nearly 40% of Canada’s total oil production, and numbers are steadily on the rise. Much of Canadian tar sand deposits are recoverable through open pit mining techniques which prove very efficient when deposits are near the surface. Large hydraulic shovels dig up the tar sands and deposit them in extra large dump trucks for transport to a nearby extraction plant. Hot water must first be added to the combination, allowing the oily bitumen to rise to the top for ease of separation. The bitumen is then skimmed from the top like the fat on buttermilk, and off to another plant for further refining into synthetic oil blends.

Main objections to harvesting tar sands in the United States are from highly vocal environmental groups voicing valid concerns over the disturbance of habitat for seemingly miniscule amounts of oil. Even with modern advancements during the 1990s, nearly two tons of tar sands are still required to produce one barrel of oil. This would mean large excavation sites would be necessary in areas of tar sand congregation like Utah, and most citizens don’t enjoy the decimated landscape that is left after a quarry or a mining operation has run dry. Triple Diamond Energy Corp and other American oil extraction companies are continually striving to uncover new ways of efficiently removing oil deposits while maintaining diligent stewardship of the environment. As needs grow and supplies diminish within the United States, new methods are direly needed and will be put to the test.

About the Author: Robert Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.