Karl Clark was a chemist and oil sand researcher. He is best known for perfecting a process that uses hot water to separate oil from tar sands.

Clark earned Bachelor and Master’s degree from McMaster University

McMaster University

McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...

 before obtaining a Doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

. He then became a Professor at the University of Alberta

University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

. In 1925, while working for the Alberta Research Council, he discovered the hot water oil separation process, which he patented in 1929. Today essentially the same method is used for obtaining crude oil from Alberta's oilsands in Fort McMurray.

External links

• Biography at Alberta's Petroleum Heritage Edukit.