At a time when pipelines are in short supply and many overseas markets out of reach, an Alberta invention is giving oil sands producers a glimmer of hope.
It’s technology that turns liquid bitumen into pellets and the green light has been given to test the process in commercial form.
Solidified with a special polymer, the bitumen could be shipped to port by rail and loaded onto freighters destined for overseas refineries.
It’s a bid to open market access for producers faced with a lack of pipeline space, and the process is generating a lot of interest where safety and the environment are concerned.
