“Developing” the Hartselle sandstone formation in Alabama will be a multi-step process that involves mining or in situ extraction, then processing to separate the bitumen. When the bitumen is extracted from the sand and clay, the bitumen is processed into heavy crude oil, which is then transported … [Read more...]
Bitumen Basics: Alabama Edition
Bitumen is the scientific name for the heavy oil in what is known as oil sands or, more colloquially as, tar sands. As Dr. Jim Lacefield has shared at recent public presentations in Florence and Hatton, the presence of oil sands in Alabama has been known for centuries. According to Dr. Lacefield, … [Read more...]