A Calgary engineer thinks an invention he stumbled upon in the laboratory could transform the way Alberta gets its heavy oil to market. "We've taken heavy oil, or bitumen, either one, and we've discovered a process to convert them rapidly and reproducibly into pellets," Gates told CBC News. Bitumen balls could be a pipeline-free way to transport Alberta oil0:30"With this, we can put it in a standard rail car. By November, the fully automated technology will be producing barrels of the tiny balls, the school says. The balls are also ideal for road paving, without the need to upgrade the product any further, Gates says.

Source: CBC News September 06, 2017 20:55 UTC