Patent ID: 7947168

Claim:
A method for recovering NH 3 present in a sour water stream containing odiferous compounds comprising pyridines, indoles, ketones and mercaptans produced during an upgrading process for upgrading bitumen from oil sands into synthetic crude, comprising: (a) subjecting the bitumen to an initial upgrading step comprising either coking in a coker or catalytic cracking in a catalytic cracker to produce the sour water stream containing the odiferous compounds; (b) treating the sour water stream in a sour water treatment unit to produce a NH 3 -rich stream, a H 2 S-rich stream and a treated water stream; and (c) removing the odiferous compounds from the NH 3 -rich stream to produce cleaned NH 3 that is of a sufficient quality to be used in a flue gas desulfurization process without producing a foul odor.