The socioeconomic aspects of the tar sands recovery were investigated by Diversified Petroleum Recovery, Inc. Mineral Resources Institute at the University of Alabama conducted characterization and beneficiation studies on Alabama tar sands. Two sources in the state were identified, namely, Black Wax Hill and Spring Creek. Samples were obtained, beneficiated, then shared with the University of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas conducted research in three areas, namely, solvation and characterization of the tar sands phase equilibria as well as the design and operation of a bench-scale batch model. In the solvation studies, the results indicate that grinding the tar sands too fine results in downstream processing problems. Also, preliminary indications are that the beneficiation step may not be necessary in the solvation of the bitumen. The phase equilibria of the heptane/brine/isopropyl alcohol/XTOL{trademark} system is very complex. The salt concentration of the brine is significant in the partitioning of the isopropanol and heptane. Equilibrium data for some of the various combinations of chemical constituents have been obtained. Also included are appendices: statistical data on highways; petrography; Dean-Starke technique; FTIR and NMR spectra; FORTRAN computer program for GC; simulation of flash behavior for IPA/brine/fatty acid/N-C{sub 7} mixture; and previous progress reports. 32 figs., 28 tabs.