Unconventional Hydrocarbons

Oil has become a chief staple of society so it is not surprising that instead of coming up with alternatives to its use, many people are trying to find alternative sources of it. The scope of the world’s addiction is unfathomable.  Oil is an addiction like any other accept that instead of only hurting the individual and those who are in most direct proximity to the person, the use of oil is dooming the environment that supports all human (and any other forms of) life. If there was ever a habit that needed kicking, it is oil. The lure of its power prevents change that may be better for all of those involved (and those not involved). Some Westernized countries have begun to reduce their dependence on oil and its foreign sources, but the United States is lagging behind. It is time for the United States to go to rehab, but apparently it will need to be dragged kicking and screaming, because instead stopping after the easiest sources of oil are exploited, the U.S. (along with some other countries) are looking into unconventional hydrocarbons as a solution. Michael Klare’s The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the Worlds Last Resources provides information about the current state of alternative hydrocarbons.

Tar sands are seen by many in the United States as an acceptable alternative to oil because a huge source of it lies just beyond its boarders in a stable country it has relatively good relations with (Canada). Unfortunately, the process is not kind to the land and the oil is much harder to extract than conventional oil. The landscape is basically skinned alive and scrapped to the bone in order to try and get every bit of available energy. All of the trees are cut down across the entire area being mined and the topsoil is removed leaving thick oily sands for extraction. According to Klare, it takes “an average of four tons of sand and peat for ever barrel of oil produced” (2012, p. 102). Any integrity the oil-saturated soil may have had is completely destroyed by grinders, and than water and chemicals are added to create syncrude (Klare, 2012). Klare writes that the destruction is so total that the destroyed landscape can be seen from space. Any damage that is so exorbitant that it can be seen from space can only be bad news for the future of the human species.  The hazardous pools of waste left behind generally kill any wildlife, in this case usually birds, that cross through an area where tar sand mining has been done. This overall process is also extremely energy intensive, so a lot of energy is used up in the attempt to perpetuate the thirst for oil the world has. Not only is the oil harder to extract from tar sands, it also is much more polluting than conventional oil. Klare says that “According to the Pembina Institute, producing a barrel of oil from tar sands releases 188.5 pounds of carbon dioxide, compared to only 63 pounds for a barrel produced by conventional means” (2012, p. 104). Only a system built on thoughtless, blind addiction could follow an energy path like this.

There are other ways to get these unconventional hydrocarbons, but none of them are good for the health of the planet, or by extension, human beings. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage of SAGD is another technique to remove oil from tar sands that uses steam to pool oil where it can be pumped up from under the ground (Klare, 2012). Anything that heats the earth to this degree must surely destroy anything living in or around it. The process is very water intensive and it may appear to be less damaging to the land, but it will still kill the land and a lot of the surrounding life. Kerogen, in shale, is another source of oil that can be pumped up after heating it over 530 degrees Fahrenheit (Klare, 2012). This system of extraction is also extremely water and energy intensive and will damage the ability of the affected area to support life. Electric heaters are also being tested to extract Kerogen, but a highly energy intensive wall of frozen earth is required to keep the extracted materials from polluting the water sheds close by (Klare, 2012).  This process seems insane, as it requires to extremes to be maintained for success. Electrofrac is another unconventional alternative that uses water to expose Kerogen and electricity to heat it (Klare, 2012). Explosives, microwaves beams, and chemicals are also being tested to get the same effect (Klare, 2012). All of the solutions will do irrevocable harm to the land’s integrity. Hydrofracking for natural gas and oil, coal-bed methane, coal to liquid (CTL), and methane hydrate will also likely support the world’s finite fuel source addiction.

            To say any of these unconventional hydrocarbons could be considered a solution is extremely naïve because petroleum, and the other fuel sources mentioned, are still finite resources no matter how much can be harvested that could not be in the past.  These sources of energy may well effectively allow some countries, like the United States, to continue business as usual for a little longer, but in the end the result can only be worse due to the reduced health of the earth that reduces human health proportionally. Being addicted to oil is just like being addicted to any other substance; too much of anything is unhealthy for everyone involved.

References

Klare, M. T. (2012). The Race for What’s Left: The Global Scramble for the World’s Last Resources (First ed.). Metropolitan Books.