Imagine if oil spills could be completely cleaned up soon after a marine accident. And this could be made possible thanks to none other than warrior microorganisms who attacked and completely broke down the oil. The latter might sound like a science fiction movie, but it actually happens in nature. Regardless of human methods used […]
When government and industry dismiss your product, where do inventors turn?
John Brinkman says he’s often greeted with a cynicism when he tries to sell the oil industry on the benefits of his oil spill clean up product “We get lumped in with everyone else. People think, ‘here comes another snake oil salesman.’ But then it turns out to be better than sliced bread,” says Brinkman, […]
Can new technology ease concerns over pipeline safety?
Who could have ever imagined that North America would surpass Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest producer of oil and natural gas liquids? A decade ago, that would have seemed laughable. Yet that’s exactly what has happened; and it’s not just Saudi Arabia that has been left in North America’s dust — Russia has, too. […]
Quest to sequester, a Shell Canada first
To paraphrase a famous observation, “Everybody talks about climate change, but nobody does much about it.” Indeed, media reports and scientific publications may be thick with discussion of this extraordinary environmental phenomenon but practical proposals for directly dealing with it are thin on the ground while full-scale initiatives are even more scarce. It is worth […]
Inspiring innovation
Development of the Alberta oil sands in a responsible manner brings complex challenges that are driving technological innovation across the country. Individuals and businesses are helping to establish Canada as a world leader in tailings reclamation, water treatment and liquids storage. TAILINGS RECLAMATION ElectroKinetic Solutions, is proposing to apply its patented electro-kinetic reclamation (EKR) technology […]
Shell fits final module on Alberta oil sands’ first carbon capture project
Shell Canada has fitted the final module at the first carbon capture and storage project in Alberta’s oil sands, putting start-up on track for 2015. The Quest CCS project, now 70 percent complete, is being built with funding from the Alberta and Canadian federal government to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from the oil sands. […]
Learning how to save oiled birds
Oil spills at sea can be devastating for seabirds, but a team of freshly trained Illawarra Australia wildlife rescuers are ready to help save and clean our feathered friends. The country’s first modified shipping container to clean oiled sea birds was in Port Kembla to help train volunteers. The shipping container is one of only […]
Living in Oil: the Microorganisms that Ruin our Fuel
Oil might not seem like it could be home to anything. However, researchers have discovered tiny organisms do indeed make their home there, and they are an essential part of the reason oil degrades over time. According to Rainer Meckenstock from the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU), the microorganisms are not living in the oil itself, […]
Understanding the immediate consequences of an oil spill
The fate of oil during the first day after an accidental oil spill is still poorly understood, with researchers often arriving on the scene only after several days. New findings from a field experiment carried out in the North Sea could help shape the emergency response in the immediate wake of disasters. It is well […]
Opposites attract to perhaps extract oil
Anccelerator Physicist appears to have had an “aha moment” as a result of the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico four years ago. Arden Warner who works for Fermilab shaved iron bits from a shovel and sprinkled them on some engine oil. Warner then used a simple fridge magnet to pull the clump of […]