Bituminous, << bih TOO muh nuhs, >> sands, also called tar sands, are deposits of sand that contain bitumen. This bitumen is a gluelike, black substance used to produce coke, gas, and oil. Bitumen makes up as much as 18 percent of the weight of bituminous sands. The world is estimated to have from 1,800 billion to 2,300 billion barrels of crude oil available in bituminous sands. This amount is about three times as much as the estimated world reserves of petroleum.
When bituminous sand is mixed with steam and hot water, it produces a black, muddy substance called a slurry. As the sand settles in the slurry, the bitumen floats to the top as a foamy substance. The bitumen is then heated to produce coke, gas, and oil. The oil is distilled to produce such products as naphtha and kerosene. These products are treated with hydrogen to remove sulfur, which is a valuable by-product of this manufacturing process.
The Athabasca tar sands region in Alberta, Canada, has the largest bituminous sands deposit in the world. Two recovery plants at nearby Fort McMurray can produce more than 200,000 barrels of synthetic crude oil a day.
