Upgrading of Oil Sands Bitumen (Part 3)

Roles of Thermophiles and Fungi in Bitumen Degradation in Mostly Cold Oil Sands Outcrops.

Oil sands are surface exposed in river valley outcrops in northeastern Alberta, where flat slabs (tablets) of weathered, bitumen-saturated sandstone can be retrieved from outcrop cliffs or from riverbeds. Although the average yearly surface temperature of this region is low (0.7°C), we found that the temperatures of the exposed surfaces of outcrop cliffs reached 55 to 60°C on sunny summer days,...

Understanding Bitumen Recovery from Oil Sands through Colloidal and Interfacial Phenomena

Canadian oil sands are unconsolidated sand deposits that are impregnated with heavy, viscous petroleum, normally referred to as bitumen. The total bitumen in place in Alberta is estimated at 1.7 to 2.5 trillion barrels and is clearly massive by world standards. Presently, 25% of the Canadian energy needs are derived from upgraded bitumen from mined oil sands. The oil sands are a complex mixture...

Oil Sands Contaminants

Alberta oil sands development.

P olycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a ubiquitous class of hundreds of organic compounds composed of two or more aromatic rings that are released naturally and from human activities. Natural sources of PAHs include forest fires, oil seeps, and volcanic eruptions; anthropogenic sources include burning of fossil fuels and wood, production of coke and charcoal, petroleum refining, and petr...

Oil Sands Contaminants: Editor’s Response