Trinidad has tar sand resources of about 2 billion barrels of oil on land in the Parrylands/Guapo and Brighton areas. With an oil price of over USD 25 per barrel, the commercial extraction of oil from Trinidad tar sands is viable, but it requires a careful study. The relatively small extent of this tar sand (about 10,000 acres and with depths varying from surface to less than 500 feet) and with...

By many analyses, we shall soon be approaching 'peak oil' production — the time when annual output begins to stall in the face of ever-increasing demand. Oil companies are therefore increasing efforts to locate new sources and, in the face of the large-scale environmental problems caused by the failure of a deep-drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico, the successful development of Canada's ta...

Extraction of oil from Canadian tar sands is becoming increasingly contentious as it is claimed the process is one of the highest in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. But now, along with environmental campaigners, some shareholders in the companies that mine and fund tar sand oil are beginning to protest at the activity. British companies spearheading the drive to exploit the Canadian tar sand...

The extent to which pollution from tar sands industrial activities in northeastern Alberta, Canada affects ecosystem and human health is a matter of growing concern that is exacerbated by uncertainty. In this paper we determine whether physical and ecological changes that result from tar sands industrial activities are detectable. We analyze a diverse set of environmental data on water and sedi...

Modern economies are dependent on fossil energy, yet as conventional resources are depleted, an increasing fraction of that energy is coming from unconventional resources such as tar sands. These resources usually require more energy for extraction and upgrading, leaving a smaller fraction available to society, and at a higher cost. Here we present a calculation of the energy return on investme...

The usefulness of Adaptive Logic Networks (ALNs) to analyse Near-Infrared (NIR) spectra of tar sands feedstock in a plant situation is examined. Laboratory experiments with tar sands do show good correlation between NIR and physical analysis using traditional mathematical and back propagation neural network techniques. The plant results are inconclusive due to poor correlation between the spect...

When the Labrecque family moved away from the 9 km2 homestead they lived on in northern Alberta in 2011, they left more than just a thriving business and an 80 year family history in the area. They abandoned most of their belongings too. The family left behind two-thirds of their children’s toys, their clothes, and even Karla Labrecque’s wedding dress. It was necessary, they say. The fumes from...