Introduction
In modern day, there are various oils and minerals located in the earth. In order to utilize these minerals, various procedures have to be incorporated, first to attain the minerals from the earth’s core and second to process these minerals into useful products that can be sold and utilized in modern day life. One such mineral is Tar Sand, also known as Oil Sand or Bitumen Sands. These sands hold chemical properties that have been examined, and necessary processing derived in order o allow for the extraction of Bitumen Oils from the Sands. Bitumen is made of various organic oils that are viscous, highly sticky, black in color , and Carbon Disulphide soluble. They are mainly comprised of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. In order to remove it, it must be heated as it is too thick and heavy to flow on its own. It is compared to cold molasses at room temperature.
Similar to other natural minerals, Tar Sands are found in various parts of the world inside the earths ’ core and are extracted and mined to give off other useful and valuable oil components such as oil and fuel. Tar Sands are composed of a mixture of water, sand, bitumen, and clay. Bitumen is a type of oil that is too heavy and too thick to flow. Hence it must be heated or diluted in order to be extracted from the ground. Historically, Oil Sands were used for roofing and paving of tar and were referred to as Tar Sands. The use of Oil Sands in roofing and paving was largely ineffective. This was due to the differences between Tar Sand and Oil Sand. Oils Sands were naturally occurring and could be upgraded to form other products such as petroleum products. However , Tar Sands are synthetically manufactured through a distillation process. It is created from coal, wood, petroleum/peat, and sand. However, Tar Sands and Oil Sands are referred to as one in the modern day. There is no difference between the two minerals, and it is from them that Bitumen Oils are extracted. Currently, Tar Sands are also referred to as Bitumen Sands (Burel, Jolivet, & Lemoine, 1995).
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Extraction of Bitumen from Tar Sand
Historically, there have been various extraction procedures that have been used in order to recover Bitumen from Tar Sands. Currently, the standard extraction process for Tar Sands is through Hot Water extraction process. In the world, there are various oil reserves found underground. These Oil reserves are locked by Tar Sands. Hence, in order to acquire Bitumen Oils, Tar Sands must first be extracted from the ground and through the use of scientific technology and other chemicals, Bitumen Oils can be extracted from the Tar Sands.
Hot Water Extraction Process
First, the Tar Sands undergo a conditioning process in large drums and tumblers, by adding caustic soda (Sodium Hydroxide ) and hot water (at 180 degrees Fahrenheit). These drums and tumblers are specially made to allow for steam injection. They also have retarders, lifters, and advances which break up the Tar Sands by creating violent, turbulent flows and positive physical activity . The Bitumen at this point is lifted and divided from the Tar Sands.it forms a froth. After this, the mixture in the tumbler is screened and the various components separated. For large debris, they are passed through a separate cell (Jacob, 1989). There is a predefined settling time that is taken in order for the aerated froth to separate from the large debris. During this settling process, Bitumen oil rises to the top and sand particles and sediments sink to the bottom. In this way, sand particles form a sediment layer at the bottom of the tumbler. The Middle is comprised of clay particles and a bit of bitumen that is trapped within the clay (Humphreys, 1999). This layer is known as middling’s as it is a viscous sludge layer. At this point, there are three layers in the tumbler, the Froth Layer at the top, The Vicious Sludge Layer at the Middle, and the Sediment Layer at the Bottom. The froth layer is skimmed off for treatment, and the sediment layer is passed into a tailings pond. For the Middle layer, a further extraction process of froth flotation is implemented so as to remove the trapped Bitumen, after which, the clay and sand that is derived from this process is also passed to a tailings pond for disposal (Wilhelm, 1959).
The above procedure was the standard hot water extraction process for Tar Sands. However, there is a modified process known as Hydro Transport System. In this process, the hot water is first mixed with Tar Sand at the mining site. The mixture of these two components is transported to the Extraction location through the use of a large pipe. During the transportation of this mixture , the Tar Sand is mixed, violently, by turbulent flow and aerated through the injection of air at intervals or intermittent points in the pipe. From this process, the Tar Sand goes through the procedures of conditioning, and the Bitumen within the Tar Sand is aerated and forms a froth. Through this process, the tumblers that were initially used in the first Hot water extraction process are eliminated (Wilhelm, 1959).
Importance of Bitumen Oils
Depending on its nature and its composition, Bitumen acquires thermoplastic characteristics such as softening on heating. However, as it is heavy and requires a lot of heat in order to flow, there are various procedures it undergoes in order for it to be declared useful. Its major use is to provide asphalt, a product that is used in the development of roads, runways, and platforms. It is also used to develop bituminous membrane products. It is an excellent water-proofing product and is also used in the development of roofing, household, and industrial products. Bitumen is also used in the construction of railway lines where penetration and Emulsion Bitumen is used as it aids in reducing the noise effects and levels caused by the trains (Pell, 1967). Similarly, it is used in air strips to surface the airfields and runways due to its fuel resistance properties. Oxidized Grade Bitumen has also been used in the piling industry when manufacturing sound dampening felts. It is used as an anti-slip layer compound and provides the necessary results. It is also used to manufacture, roofing and dampening felts , in the manufacturing process of undercarriage sealants in the vehicle industry, as a joint protection in electric cables, and other various industrial uses (Bitumen Business, n.d.).
Conclusion
From the above, Tar Sands act as an important aspect and component of the current industrial processes. Through Tar Sands, that provide Bitumen Oils, Modern day infrastructure development is facilitated in almost all countries across the world. Through the hot water process, the acquisition of Tar Sands in order to facilitate the acquisition of these oils has been facilitated. Necessary amendments and developments are continually being introduced into the Hot water Extraction process. These modification procedures allow for the development of a faster and more convenient extraction process of the Tar Sands and from that the separation of these Tar Sands from the Bitumen Oils trapped within them.
References
Bitumen Business. (n.d.). General uses of Bitumen. Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://bitumenbiz.com/3-General-uses-of-Bitumen.html
Burel, P., Jolivet, Y., & Lemoine, G. (1995, June 27). Bitumen-polymer compositions, their method of preparation and their uses. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/patents/US5428085
Humphreys, R. D. (1999, November 16). Tar sands extraction process. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/patents/US5985138
Jacob, H. (1989). Classification, structure, genesis and practical importance of natural solid oil bitumen (“ migrabitumen ”). International Journal of Coal Geology , 11 (1), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-5162(89)90113-4
Pell, P. S. (1967). FATIGUE OF ASPHALT PAVEMENT MIXES. Presented at the Intl Conf Struct Design Asphalt Pvmts . Retrieved from https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=100857
Wilhelm, S. G. J. (1959, November 24). Oil and gas recovery from tar sands. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/patents/US2914309
