How is conventional oil extracted? What are some of the environmental consequences of finding, extracting, and using oil?
Why You Should Care
If asked about oil (petroleum) extraction, most people think of wells gushing black liquid into the sky. While this can happen at first, in order to get most of the petroleum out, we have to drill through layers of rock, pump in water and then steam or carbon dioxide. Once we extract the petroleum, we separate it into different categories based on weight—some of this petroleum becomes fuels such as gasoline or diesel, some becomes the raw material for products such as plastic, and some is used “as is,” such as bitumen for blacktop pavement.
Our complex relationship and dependence on petroleum has many economic and environmental costs that are beginning to change our Earth in significant ways. Petroleum extraction creates water and groundwater pollution, distilling creates toxic byproducts as solids and gases, and its eventual use releases greenhouse gases and air pollutants that create smog. Despite these issues, we are extremely dependent on petroleum as an energy source for transportation. Externalizing these costs would double or quadruple the costs of petroleum and this would require massive changes to our economy.
Test Your Vocabulary
Fill in the blank with the correct term for each of the following definitions:
is the fossil fuel that is a gas that is often found in petroleum deposits.
are separated in distillation towers and are used as fuels or raw materials for other products such as plastics, pavement, and industrial solvents.
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1.
What does NOT happen with any new petroleum well?
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B.
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D.
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2.
Which phase of production recovers the least petroleum?
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B.
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3.
Which of the phases of petroleum recovery are correctly matched?
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4.
Why does petroleum extraction gradually require that more and more material be pushed into the ground?
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Oil is less dense than water and floats on top of it. Without adding fluid into the layer, extraction is similar to using a straw to suck up any liquid—the level gradually sinks until there is nothing to pull up. By adding fluids or gases, we force the petroleum upward and make it possible to retrieve more from the ground.
5.
Which of the following is the lightest compound after refining?
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B.
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D.
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6.
Which of the following are NOT collected from a distillation tower?
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B.
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D.
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7.
Why are the heavier substances found at the lower levels of the distillation tower?
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8.
Why does crude oil (petroleum right after extraction) need to be refined?
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Petroleum is refined because crude oil is a mixture of many different compounds, and it is separated to make pure mixtures of each product (gasoline, diesel, fuel oils, etc.).
9.
Which of the following impacts arises after petroleum is combusted (used)?
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B.
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D.
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10.
Which of the following petroleum impacts arises during exploration and extraction?
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11.
What are the impacts of petroleum exploration and extraction in estuaries and near-shore ocean communities?
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On land, habitat loss and wildlife disruption of wetland and estuary communities that are already in danger are the biggest issues. In near-shore ocean communities, there is disruption of marine species (such as whales and dolphins), an increase in the chance of pollution from oil spills and explosions, and creation of dead zones from oil and other industrial pollution.
