Patent ID: 8852429

Claim:
A method for processing froth treatment tailings comprising solid mineral material, water, and bitumen, wherein the froth treatment tailings result from a process for recovering bitumen from oil sand, wherein the process for recovering bitumen from oil sand is comprised of producing a bitumen froth from the oil sand, wherein the process for recovering bitumen from oil sand is further comprised of separating the froth treatment tailings from the bitumen froth in a froth treatment process, the method comprising: (a) separating the froth treatment tailings in order to produce a coarse mineral material fraction and a fine mineral material fraction therefrom; (b) subjecting the coarse mineral material fraction to froth flotation in order to produce a heavy mineral concentrate and a coarse mineral material tailings therefrom; and (c) subjecting the heavy mineral concentrate to solvent extraction in order to produce a debitumenized heavy mineral concentrate and a bitumen extract therefrom, wherein the solvent extraction is comprised of a solvent extraction stage, wherein the solvent extraction stage is comprised of: (i) attritioning a solvent extraction feed material in order to produce an attritioned solvent extraction feed material, wherein the solvent extraction feed material is comprised of the heavy mineral concentrate, and wherein the solvent extraction feed material includes an amount of a diluent; (ii) separating the attritioned solvent extraction feed material in order to produce a solvent extraction underflow component and a solvent extraction overflow component; and (iii) combining a recycled amount of a solvent extraction intermediate component which is derived from the separating of the attritioned solvent extraction feed material with the solvent extraction feed material so that the solvent extraction feed material is further comprised of the recycled amount of the solvent extraction intermediate component, wherein the solvent extraction intermediate component is obtained from a withdrawal point which is located above the solvent extraction underflow component and below the solvent extraction overflow component.