Oil Sands vs. Tar Sands

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
32,230
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"...tar sands might be taking more money out of (Canada) than they are putting in" - Crazy Tom Mulcair

 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
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Red Deer AB
Would you build a house on this land and raise a family?
That isn't what it would be used for. Cities put soccer and baseball fields over their garbage pits. This looks somewhat dry so it some tailings spread out? That 'washed clean' sand needs to find a home on the international market. Right now it would be best spread out on the icy roads in the winter. The sand they use today is river sand so it is round and it needs salt to be mixed in before it becomes an effective traction device. The sand from there is sharp and it locks together without any additional binders so it is ready to use straight from the rail-car.
There must be all sorts of contaminated water and the clean sand won't hold it and there is not enough clay in the area to line all the 'ponds' but the lower grade oil/sand could certainly be made waterproof. Nature has water turn black at one point before a pasture exists. If that water can be cleaned then any water can. Loping off the time needed is something we could speed along. The worst of the worst won't get better with airation but the solution is close-by. The moss that floats on deeper muskeg is like a big sponge that is about 3ft thick on average. Invent some harvester that winds it up like sod and once onsite unroll it (in the winter) and leave it until fall and test it. If it is bad roll it and dry it out and use it in the furnaces, if it is better then another layer for next year might be needed and once the moss stays alive (no open water) the wildlife will also live and unless you plan on growing rice that is it and the stripped areas would be landing zones for birds that have clean water. Tar means grease at the bank, if you try to make it into gas you will need more money and more water and more gas than is available or ever will be available. Easy call, yes?
On the bright side it is the only ready made product that can smother a nuclear plant after the malfunction phase has happened so cash or credit is the only real issue in terms of worth.
As a grease factory it can run 100 years and make money the whole time, jet fuel would cost $23,000/ liter. Colpy, what does that add up to in your world?

That meadow needs some quick growing trees or willows or hemp or hemp or hemp. Unlike clay fields sandy soil gets tighter the wetter it gets so farming could be done with Syncrude sized equipment (their junk redesigned). If you can slope a field 5% to the sun for most of it would that not help the plants grow taller naturally and taller hemp is what you would be after as that is also used as biodegradeable netting to cover the sludge pits as their are being strained clean. Cheaper than hiding it in the first place and it can be exported technology and the land is productive if possible and not dangerous if it is wild.
 
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petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
118,418
14,524
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Low Earth Orbit
Some people fear the weirdest things yet they will deliberately go to Big Mac's and ingest pure poison! -:)
Or worse.

How many people live on Lake Ontario?

Or you could just pull another crop of trees off that land in about 100 years. Meantime it is a good carbon sink.

Farmland. That piece is worth good money and will produce an income yearly.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
118,418
14,524
113
Low Earth Orbit
We're in the money.
We're in the money.
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along.
We're in the money.
The skies are sunny.
Old man Depression, you are through.
You've done us wrong.

We never see a headline about a breadline today.
And when we see the landlord, we can look that guy right in the eye.
We're in the money.
Come on, my honey,
Let's spend it, lend it, send it rolling along.

Gone are my blues and gone are my tears.
I've got good news to shout in your ears.
The silver dollar has returned to the fold.
With silver you can turn your dreams to gold.

We're in the money.
We're in the money.
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along.
We're in the money.
The skies are sunny.
Old man Depression, you are through.
You've done us wrong.

We never see a headline about a breadline today.
And when we see the landlord, we can look that guy right in the eye.
We're in the money.
Come on, my honey,
Let's spend it, lend it, send it rolling along.

We're in the money.
We're in the money.
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along.
We're in the money.
The skies are sunny.
Old man Depression, you are through
You've done us wrong.

We never see a headline about a breadline today.
And when we see the landlord, we can look that guy right in the eye.
We're in the money.
Come on, my honey,
Let's spend it, lend it, send it rolling along