Why in news
New measurements of total gaseous organic carbon concentrations in the air over the Athabasca oil sands in Canada suggest that traditional methods of estimating this pollution can severely underestimate emissions.
Aircraft-based measurements reveal that the total gaseous organic carbon emissions from oil sands operations exceed industry-reported values by 1,900% to over 6,300% across the studied facilities.
Emissions from both surface mining operations and extraction from deeper in situ deposits of bitumen were studied.
Athabasca oil sands
The Athabasca oil sands, also known as the Athabasca tar sands, are a fascinating and complex topic with both economic and environmental implications.
Vast deposits of bitumen (extremely heavy crude oil) in northeastern Alberta, Canada.
Largest known reservoir of bitumen in the world, and a major contributor to Canada's economy.
Bitumen is mixed with sand, clay, and water, making it difficult and energy-intensive to extract.
Two main methods: open-pit mining and in-situ extraction.
Open-pit mining is more common, but both methods require large amounts of water and energy.
Extracted bitumen is upgraded into synthetic crude oil for transportation and refining.
Major source of revenue for Alberta and Canada, generating billions in royalties and jobs.
Contributes significantly to Canada's energy security and global oil exports.
High greenhouse gas emissions associated with extraction and processing.
Impacts on water resources and land use, including deforestation and boreal forest degradation.
Concerns about tailings ponds and potential contamination of waterways.
What are the deposits?
The main deposit in the Athabasca oil sands is bitumen.
A thick, viscous form of crude oil.
It's often referred to as "tar sands" due to its sticky consistency.
While bitumen is the primary target for extraction, the oil sands aren't just pure bitumen.
Bitumen: This makes up approximately 10-15% of the mixture and is the valuable resource extracted for conversion into synthetic crude oil.
Sand: Around 75-80% of the composition is sand, providing the structural framework for the deposit.
Clay minerals: These make up about 5-10% and bind the sand and bitumen together, contributing to the difficulty of extraction.
Water: The remaining 5-10% is water, filling the pore spaces between the other components and further complicating extraction.
COMMENTS