Transporting Alberta Oil Sands Products

Oil sands are unconventional hydrocarbon deposits that consist of clay, sand, water, and a highly viscous petroleum product known as bitumen. Extracting bitumen from oil sands has become profitable as oil prices have increased and extraction technologies improved, and the oil sands industry has grown rapidly in Alberta, Canada. In order to transport bitumen, a diluent such as natural gas condensate or synthetic crude oil is usually added to decrease the viscosity and density. There are many concerns about environmental and human health risks of oil sands development and transportation. Contents of this report: Oil sands products and modes of transporting crude oil in North America; spills of oil sands products; projections of future spills; transportation methods; properties, fate, and behavior of oil sands products; environmental and human health effects of oil sands products; risk mitigation; gaps and recommendations; appendices. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.