US Oil Sands to Use Citrus-based Technology at Oil Sands Project

Mining Weekly reported yesterday that Canada’s US Oil Sands Inc. (TSXV:USO) is using an environmentally friendly, citrus-based technology to design and build the United States’ first commercial oil sands project.

As quoted in the market news:

USO will employ a proprietary, environment-friendly process at PR Springs using a biodegradable citrus-based bio-solvent to separate oil from sand. This unique process – which employs an extract from orange peels called d-limonene – results in a 96% recovery of bitumen and the elimination of tailings ponds.

The nontoxic solvent is biodegradable and 98% recyclable. Similarly, 95% of the water employed in the process is immediately recyclable.

Cameron Todd, CEO of US Oil Sands, commented:

USO’s technology requires a 90% to 95% smaller surface footprint than traditional oil sands mining projects (on a per-barrel basis), and 95% of water used in the process is immediately recycled and reused. The process used half the energy required per produced barrel than other oil sands projects, and results in the best in-class greenhouse-gas emissions, lower than some conventional oil and gas projects.

Click here to read the full Mining Weekly report.