Context (TH): Total gaseous organic carbon emissions from oil sands operations exceed industry-reported values by 1,900% to over 6,300% across the studied facilities.
Oil sands (also called tar sands) are a mixture of sand, clay, water, and bitumen.
The oil is in the form of bitumen, a very heavy liquid or sticky black solid with low melting temperature.
Oil sand is a naturally occurring petrochemical that can be upgraded into crude oil and other petroleum products.
It must be processed before it can be used by refineries to produce fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
The largest deposits of tar sands in the world are found in Alberta (Canada) and Venezuela.
Tar sands are mined in two ways:
Open-pit mining: If tar sands are found near the surface, as in Alberta, Canada, they can be mined directly – much like open-pit coal mining – and then transferred to an extraction plant where the bitumen can be separated from the sand, clay, and water.
In-situ mining: If tar sands are too deep to dig up, the bitumen can be extracted by injecting hot steam or solvents to loosen up the bitumen and allow it to flow through a well to the surface.
Crude bitumen is a thick, sticky form of crude oil, and is so viscous that it will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons such as light crude oil or natural-gas condensate.
At room temperature, it is much like cold molasses.
Harmful impacts of oil sands
Tar sands extraction emits up to three times more global warming pollution than does producing the same quantity of conventional crude.
It depletes and pollutes freshwater resources and creates giant ponds of toxic waste.
Oil sands operations release pollutants into the air, including greenhouse gases and other harmful pollutants like NOx and SOx.
Refining the oil sands produces petroleum coke, a hazardous by-product.
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