PETROLEUM/CRUDE OILThe Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

HOW IT IS FORMED

Crude oil is a thick, black, liquid consisting of hundreds of hydrocarbons and impurities such as sulphur, oxygen, and nitrogen. It was formed from the accumulation of dead and decaying plants and animals that sank to the bottom of the ocean. Sediments of sand, mud, and other mineral deposits buried it and due to the lack of oxygen present the rate of decay was decreased substantially. This slow decay formed organic material called kerogen, where temperatures greater than 110°C it is converted into crude oil and natural gases. These compounds mixed with surrounding sediments and formed source rock, which is a type of fine-grained shale where it remained trapped under porous limestone or sandstone and capped by shale or silt locking it in unable to escape from under the earth.

WHO HAS IT?

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) holds 78% of the Earth’s total supply of oil. OPEC includes Saudi Arabia (25%), Canada (15%), Iraq (11%), UAE (9.3%), Kuwait (9.2%), and Iran (8.6%) whose lands hold oil reserves of the percentages indicated previously.

HOW OIL IS REFINED

Crude oil is refined by distillation, a process that utilizes the unique boiling points to separate the various components of a substance. In the distillation processes the crude oil is boiled within a column. As the crude oil boils it transitions to a gaseous state and rises towards the top of the column. As the gases cool the different components will begin to transition back to liquid state at their unique boiling points where they are separated out of the column for use.

WHAT IS IN ONE BARREL OF CRUDE OIL

WHAT IS OIL USED FOR

Crude oil is measured in barrels. A 42 – US gallon barrel of crude oil provides slightly more than 44 gallons of petroleum products. This gain from processing the crude oil is similar to what happens to popcorn, which gets bigger after its popped. The gain from processing is more than 6%.

One barrel of crude oil, when refined, produces about 19 gallons of finished motor gasoline, and 10 gallons of diesel, as well as other petroleum products. Most petroleum products are used to produce energy such as the use propane to heat homes. Other products made from petroleum include ink, crayons, bubble gum, dishwashing liquids, deodorant, eyeglasses etc.HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE LEFT?

The term ‘peak oil’ is used to describe the point at which we will have obtained all of the easily accessible supplies of crude oil that require less resources and energy to refine. Although crude oil is formed by a natural process that is still ongoing today it is considered to be a non-renewable resource as the process takes place over millions of years. We are fast approaching a time where the earth’s supply of oil will no longer be able to meet our energy needs.

The debate over when we will reach peak oil is on-going and controversial. Some believe we have already reached peak oil whereas others believe it is a few decades away. The debate stems from the fact that it is difficult to accurately inventory the world’s current supply and thus we cannot accurately assess the time when we will have reached the peak. Currently the prediction is 42-93 years until we hit peak.

WHO USES IT

CANADA’S OIL SANDS

Alberta holds ¾ of the world’s oil sands that supply 1/5 of Canada’s oil needs. The oil sands are made up of a mixture of clay, sand, water, bitumen. Bitumen is a thicker heavier oil with a high sulphur content created when it was degraded into tar by bacteria and ground water.

To extract the bitumen (combustible fuel) the sands need to be mixed with hot water and steam. The extracted bitumen is heated in huge cookers (run by natural gas) to convert it into a crude oil suitable for refining. For every barrel of bitumen produced it takes two tons of oil sand, and three barrels of water.

Environmental concerns arise when one considers that the extraction process produces water pollution, air pollution, and more greenhouse gases compared to crude oil refinery. Alberta has been cutting down its boreal forests in the process that has led to habitat degradation and causing disturbances among ecosystems and the organisms that live amidst them.

Questions

1. Research the environmental impacts of obtaining, refining, and processing fossil fuels such as oil have.

2. How do you think the Alberta Oil sands have hindered Canada’s goals on reducing greenhouse gas emissions?