Discover what oil shale is and where oil shale resources can be found in Australia. Learn about oil shale’s potential as an alternative fuel for Australia, given our decreasing supply of crude oil resources. Discover how oil shale was formed and learn about the process of mining oil shale.

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is the process of gasifying coal in situ, that is, where it is lying under the surface, so that it can be used as a fuel or chemical feedstock. This fact sheet explores a number of elements of the UCG process including technology and environmental management.

QER is acknowledged for providing assistance with this resource.Oil shale is composed of between 17 and 25% water and before the oil can be extracted, this moisture needs to be removed. To achieve this, the oil shale passes through a drying plant, like an enormous pizza oven, in which hot air is blown over it at 200 degrees Celsius.In this experiment, students will reproduce this process and determine just how much water a rock can hold.

QER is acknowledged for providing assistance with this resource.In this activity, students analyse four photographs that were taken at the QER oil shale mine at Yarwun near Gladstone, while standing in the same position on a 4WD track on the same day. Two of the photos are of one side of the track: untouched, native bushland. The other two are of the other side of the track, an exploratory shale oil site, cleared in the 1980s and rehabilitated twenty years ago. Rehabilitation is the process of restoring a disturbed site to its original state by re-establishing native plants.

QER is acknowledged for providing assistance with this resource.There are a range of different sources of waste and process streams which result from the processing of oil shale. These encompass air emissions, water emissions, noise, and waste. This fact sheet lists in detail some of the technologies and practices employed to manage these streams.

QER is acknowledged for providing assistance with this resource.Oil shale is quite common, found in most countries in the world. Like gold deposits, there are small amounts everywhere but most are not worthwhile for mining. Queensland has most of Australia's commercially viable oil shale (80-90%). Find out more about oil shale in this fact sheet.

QER is acknowledged for providing assistance with this resource.Fractional distillation is the separation of a mixture into its component parts (fractions) by heating them to a temperature at which several components evaporate. As the temperature of crude oil increases, different hydrocarbons are separated. Those with the lowest boiling points evaporate first and those with the highest boiling points, last. A condenser is used to condense and capture each evaporated component.In this experimental investigation you will set up and operate your own miniature petroleum refinery to perform fractional distillation on a crude oil substitute.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Exploring familar objects and materials"Plastics are made from oil. The wide array of types of plastics makes for an extensive diversity of properties. In this lesson students will classify a range of plastic objects according to their properties.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Caring for the Environment"Caring for our local environment is important, whether it is a mine site, a school ground or a neighbourhood park. In this lesson, students will explore the circle of life and ways in which they can help to care for their natural environment. In this lesson, students will conduct a nature walk to observe the natural environment and then draw or paint what they have discovered.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 1.

QER is acknowledged with providing assistance for this resource."Everyday objects made from minerals"Objects of all kinds can be described using a rich vocabulary encompassing all of the senses. Many common and useful objects around us are made from oil.In this lesson, students will question, describe, recognise and name common objects.This lesson has been designed to align with the science Australian Curriculum year 2.