Photographs of Remediated Refineries

An oil refinery takes a raw material (crude oil) and transforms it into useful petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, and hundreds of other useful products. A typical large refinery costs billions of dollars to build and millions more to run and upgrade. It runs around the clock 365 days a year, employs hundreds of people, and can occupy hundreds of acres. A refinery breaks crude oil down into its various components, which then are selectively changed into new products. This process takes place inside a maze of pipes and vessels.

All refineries perform three basic steps: separation (fractional distillation), conversion (cracking and rearranging the molecules), and treatment.

During the early 1900's there were numerous oil refinery operations across Kansas. Many of these former operations are abandoned and have left behind sludge pits, tank bottoms, and product which resulted in contaminated soil and ground water. Efforts are underway by KDHE to identify and address each of these facilities. Currently, there are only a handful of operating oil refineries left in our state.

• Great Western Refinery - Erie
• Former Sinclair Refinery - Coffeyville
• Mid-America Refining Company (MARCO)
• The Standard Asphalt and Rubber Company (SARCO)