Reference number : GC-2017-Q2-04324, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Ulrich, Ania (University of Alberta), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Alberta, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for Universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : In northeastern Alberta, large volumes of fluid fine tailings (FFT) are produced during bitumen extraction from_x000D_
surface-mined oil sands ore. FFT is comprised of water, fine clays, naphthenic acids (NAs), residual bitumen_x000D_
and other unrecovered hydrocarbons. FFT takes decades to dewater in tailings ponds. Hence, the growing_x000D_
inventory compels operators to seek alternative tailings management strategies. End pit lakes (EPLs) with FFT_x000D_
below a water cap in mined out pits are one of the potential options. The expectation is that EPLs will slowly_x000D_
develop into self-sustaining aquatic ecosystems. Potential issues with EPLs may include movement of_x000D_
constituents of potential concern (COPCs) from the FFT into the overlying cap water contributing to on-going_x000D_
sources of possible toxicity. Thus, research has been undertaken to resolve these issues and determine the_x000D_
feasibility of EPLs as a reclamation strategy._x000D_
Graymont Western Canada Inc. is an emerging global leader in the supply of lime and limestone products._x000D_
Graymont has conducted preliminary tests showing that 1) lime addition to FFT in the range of 750 to 1500_x000D_
mg-CaO/kg-FFT improves FFT dewatering and facilitates the release of residual bitumen, and 2) lime addition_x000D_
to oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) induces calcium naphthenate precipitate formation at pH 12. These_x000D_
preliminary findings can be leveraged by further investigating how lime treatment can mitigate COPC flux_x000D_
across the FFT-water cap interface in EPLs. Both of these issues are of relevance for the timely development of_x000D_
EPLs in the oil sands industry._x000D_
In this study, lime will be tested for its ability to enhance FFT dewatering and NA removal in lab-scale batch_x000D_
experiments representative of an EPL. The purpose of this study to assess the feasibility of using lime as a_x000D_
pre-treatment step in EPLs for efficient and economical oil sands tailings reclamation., program purpose french : In northeastern Alberta, large volumes of fluid fine tailings (FFT) are produced during bitumen extraction from_x000D_
surface-mined oil sands ore. FFT is comprised of water, fine clays, naphthenic acids (NAs), residual bitumen_x000D_
and other unrecovered hydrocarbons. FFT takes decades to dewater in tailings ponds. Hence, the growing_x000D_
inventory compels operators to seek alternative tailings management strategies. End pit lakes (EPLs) with FFT_x000D_
below a water cap in mined out pits are one of the potential options. The expectation is that EPLs will slowly_x000D_
develop into self-sustaining aquatic ecosystems. Potential issues with EPLs may include movement of_x000D_
constituents of potential concern (COPCs) from the FFT into the overlying cap water contributing to on-going_x000D_
sources of possible toxicity. Thus, research has been undertaken to resolve these issues and determine the_x000D_
feasibility of EPLs as a reclamation strategy._x000D_
Graymont Western Canada Inc. is an emerging global leader in the supply of lime and limestone products._x000D_
Graymont has conducted preliminary tests showing that 1) lime addition to FFT in the range of 750 to 1500_x000D_
mg-CaO/kg-FFT improves FFT dewatering and facilitates the release of residual bitumen, and 2) lime addition_x000D_
to oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) induces calcium naphthenate precipitate formation at pH 12. These_x000D_
preliminary findings can be leveraged by further investigating how lime treatment can mitigate COPC flux_x000D_
across the FFT-water cap interface in EPLs. Both of these issues are of relevance for the timely development of_x000D_
EPLs in the oil sands industry._x000D_
In this study, lime will be tested for its ability to enhance FFT dewatering and NA removal in lab-scale batch_x000D_
experiments representative of an EPL. The purpose of this study to assess the feasibility of using lime as a_x000D_
pre-treatment step in EPLs for efficient and economical oil sands tailings reclamation., agreement title english : Assessing the feasibility of using lime to mitigate chemical flux in oil sands end pit lakes, agreement title french : Assessing the feasibility of using lime to mitigate chemical flux in oil sands end pit lakes, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2017-09-20, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada