Spent shale
Okay kiddo, so when people dig for oil, they find a type of rock called shale. Shale is kind of like a sandwich with lots of layers. The oil inside the shale is very valuable, so they take it out and use it to make things like gasoline for cars and trucks.
But after they take out the oil, the shale still has some valuable stuff left in it called minerals. To get these minerals out, companies have to do something called "spending" the shale. This means they break it up into really small pieces and mix it with chemicals and water to make a kind of soup.
The soup is then put into big tanks and the minerals are taken out. But the leftover soup, which is called spent shale, can be bad for the environment if it's not treated properly. It can be really salty and have chemicals in it that hurt plants and animals.
So the companies have to be careful and make sure to get rid of it in a safe way or it could cause problems. Does that make sense, little one?
But after they take out the oil, the shale still has some valuable stuff left in it called minerals. To get these minerals out, companies have to do something called "spending" the shale. This means they break it up into really small pieces and mix it with chemicals and water to make a kind of soup.
The soup is then put into big tanks and the minerals are taken out. But the leftover soup, which is called spent shale, can be bad for the environment if it's not treated properly. It can be really salty and have chemicals in it that hurt plants and animals.
So the companies have to be careful and make sure to get rid of it in a safe way or it could cause problems. Does that make sense, little one?