Geotechnics of nonsegregating oil sand tailings

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 801-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.L. Caughill ◽  
N.R. Morgenstern ◽  
J.D. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Large Diameter ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
Management Problem ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Hindered Settling ◽  
Tailings Pond ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Degree Of Consolidation ◽  
Slurry Consolidation

The present method of oil sands tailings disposal results in a tailings pond with a fine tailings zone that will take many decades to consolidate fully. The fine tailings accumulate as a result of the segregating characteristics of the tailings stream. Nonsegregating mixes of total tailings are desirable to prevent or greatly reduce the formation of a fine tailings zone. This study investigated the use of lime and sulphuric acid to prevent segregation of the tailings stream. Two batches of Syncrude tailings were tested. These averaged 48 and 55% solids and 17% fines (< 44 μm). The hindered settling and consolidation properties of nonsegregating mixes were determined using large-diameter standpipe and slurry consolidation cells. Nonsegregating mixes were achieved by adding 600–800 ppm CaO, based on total weight, or 7.5–10 mL/L of 10% H2SO4, based on the total volume of tailings. Predictions of field performance using a finite strain consolidation program indicate that a deposition rate of up to 20 m/year of treated total tailings is possible, depending upon the simultaneous degree of consolidation desired. The discovery of nonsegregating mixes with sufficient self-draining capability opens many options to address this important waste-management problem. Key words : oil sand tailings, nonsegregating, hindered settling, consolidation, permeability, laboratory.

Methanogens and sulfate-reducing bacteria in oil sands fine tailings waste

2000 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 927-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fervone M Holowenko ◽  
Michael D MacKinnon ◽  
Phillip M Fedorak
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Sulfate Reducing Bacteria ◽  
Sample Storage ◽  
Settling Basin ◽  
Fort Mcmurray ◽  
Sulfate Reducing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Tailings Pond ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Reducing Bacteria

In the past decade, the large tailings pond (Mildred Lake Settling Basin) on the Syncrude Canada Ltd. lease near Fort McMurray, Alta., has gone methanogenic. Currently, about 60%-80% of the flux of gas across the surface of the tailings pond is methane. As well as adding to greenhouse gas emissions, the production of methane in the fine tailings zone of this and other settling basins may affect the performance of these settling basins and impact reclamation options. Enumeration studies found methanogens (105-106MPN/g) within the fine tailings zone of various oil sands waste settling basins. SRB were also present (104-105MPN/g) with elevated numbers when sulfate was available. The methanogenic population was robust, and sample storage up to 9 months at 4°C did not cause the MPN values to change. Nor was the ability of the consortium to produce methane delayed or less efficient after storage. Under laboratory conditions, fine tailings samples released 0.10-0.25 mL CH4(at STP)/mL fine tailings. The addition of sulfate inhibited methanogenesis by stimulating bacterial competition.Key words: fine tailings, methanogens, sulfate-reducing bacteria, methane, oil sands.

A comparison of waste leaching determination methods in the context of dewatered oil sands fine tailings

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1267-1275
Author(s):  
N. Utting ◽  
C. McMullen ◽  
M. Morin ◽  
P. Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Ion Concentrations ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Leaching Methods ◽  
Leaching Procedure

Leaching tests are an important component in assessing the potential of contaminants to leach from waste materials to the environment. Numerous leaching test protocols have been developed for different applications. In this study, we compare four different methods in the context of assessing leaching of inorganic ions from oil sands tailings. The four methods compared were: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure; ASTM D6234; ASTM D3987; and what we refer to as the Deionized method (modified from Syncrude Analytical Aqueous Extraction of Oil Sand Method 1.7). It was found that the EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure generally resulted in the highest ion concentrations. The EPA method had statistically different results for three of the four tailings mixes when compared with the other three leaching methods. For Mo and Ti the EPA method always resulted in the lowest concentrations compared with the other methods, and As, Tl, and Pb sometimes resulted in the lowest concentrations. The other three leaching protocols resulted in similar dissolved ion concentrations.

scholarly journals Methanogenic Biodegradation of iso-Alkanes by Indigenous Microbes from Two Different Oil Sands Tailings Ponds

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1569
Author(s):  
Mohd Faidz Mohamad Shahimin ◽  
Julia M. Foght ◽  
Tariq Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Carbon Chain ◽  
Lag Phase ◽  
Carbon Chain Length ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Degradation Pattern ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Oil Sands Tailings ◽  
Tailings Ponds ◽  
Oil Sands Tailings Ponds

iso-Alkanes, a major fraction of the solvents used in bitumen extraction from oil sand ores, are slow to biodegrade in anaerobic tailings ponds. We investigated methanogenic biodegradation of iso-alkane mixtures comprising either three (2-methylbutane, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane) or five (2-methylbutane, 2-methylpentane, 2-methylhexane, 2-methylheptane, 2-methyloctane) iso-alkanes representing paraffinic and naphtha solvents, respectively. Mature fine tailings (MFT) collected from two tailings ponds, having different residual solvents (paraffinic solvent in Canadian Natural Upgrading Limited (CNUL) and naphtha in Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL)), were amended separately with the two mixtures and incubated in microcosms for ~1600 d. The indigenous microbes in CNUL MFT produced methane from the three-iso-alkane mixture after a lag of ~200 d, completely depleting 2-methylpentane while partially depleting 2-methylbutane and 3-methylpentane. CNRL MFT exhibited a similar degradation pattern for the three iso-alkanes after a lag phase of ~700 d, but required 1200 d before beginning to produce methane from the five-iso-alkane mixture, preferentially depleting components in the order of decreasing carbon chain length. Peptococcaceae members were key iso-alkane-degraders in both CNUL and CNRL MFT but were associated with different archaeal partners. Co-dominance of acetoclastic (Methanosaeta) and hydrogenotrophic (Methanolinea and Methanoregula) methanogens was observed in CNUL MFT during biodegradation of three-iso-alkanes whereas CNRL MFT was enriched in Methanoregula during biodegradation of three-iso-alkanes and in Methanosaeta with five-iso-alkanes. This study highlights the different responses of indigenous methanogenic microbial communities in different oil sands tailings ponds to iso-alkanes.

Chemical Disequilibrium In Oil Sand Fine Tailings

1991 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Jonasson ◽  
Z. Zhou ◽  
R. Schutte ◽  
L. Danielson
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sand ◽  
Fine Tailings

scholarly journals Using Specified Risk Materials-Based Peptides for Oil Sands Fluid Fine Tailings Management

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1582
Author(s):  
Yeling Zhu ◽  
Yuki Gong ◽  
Heather Kaminsky ◽  
Michael Chae ◽  
Paolo Mussone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Colloidal Stability ◽  
Free Water ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Settling Rate ◽  
Test Range ◽  
Tailings Management ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Fluid Fine Tailings ◽  
Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide

Fluid fine tailings are produced in huge quantities by Canada’s mined oil sands industry. Due to the high colloidal stability of the contained fine solids, settling of fluid fine tailings can take hundreds of years, making the entrapped water unavailable and posing challenges to public health and the environment. This study focuses on developing value-added aggregation agents from specified risk materials (SRM), a waste protein stream from slaughterhouse industries, to achieve an improved separation of fluid fine tailings into free water and solids. Settling results using synthetic kaolinite slurries demonstrated that, though not as effective as hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, a commercial flocculant, the use of SRM-derived peptides enabled a 2-3-fold faster initial settling rate than the blank control. The pH of synthetic kaolinite tailings was observed to be slightly reduced with increasing peptides dosage in the test range (10–50 kg/ton). The experiments on diluted fluid fine tailings (as a representation of real oil sands tailings) demonstrated an optimum peptides dosage of 14 kg/ton, which resulted in a 4-fold faster initial settling rate compared to the untreated tailings. Overall, this study demonstrates the novelty and feasibility of using SRM-peptides to address intractable oil sands fluid tailings.

Impact of flocculation-based dewatering on the shear strength of oil sands fine tailings

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1001-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Beier ◽  
Ward Wilson ◽  
Adedeji Dunmola ◽  
David Sego
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Material Handling ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Strength Performance ◽  
Tailings Management ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Fluid Fine Tailings ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Reported Data

The oil sands in northern Alberta have been mined to produce bitumen over the past five decades. Since the 1980s, technical advances have been made in mining, material handling, and bitumen extraction. However, acquiring practical methods to control and reduce the fluid fine tailings build-up has been an ongoing challenge. Recent regulatory changes have driven the industry to review current tailings-management techniques and investigate numerous alternative technologies and processes to manage and reclaim fine tailings. Many of these fine tailings–management techniques involve some form of polymer or chemical addition to promote dewatering and strength gain to meet the regulatory requirements. Based on the reported data, the chemically amended fine tailings deposits have the characteristics of sensitive, metastable deposits, necessitating additional mitigative measures by oil sands operators beyond the regulatory requirements. This paper explores the geotechnical aspects of meeting regulatory strength performance criteria by employing flocculation-based dewatering of fluid fine tailings.

scholarly journals Assessing Risks of Shallow Riparian Groundwater Quality Near an Oil Sands Tailings Pond

Ground Water ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Roy ◽  
G. Bickerton ◽  
R.A. Frank ◽  
L. Grapentine ◽  
L.M. Hewitt
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Tailings Pond ◽  
Oil Sands Tailings

Addition of Tubifex accelerates dewatering of oil sands tailings

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1025-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojuan Yang ◽  
Miguel de Lucas Pardo ◽  
Maria Ibanez ◽  
Lijun Deng ◽  
Luca Sittoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Anionic Polymer ◽  
Fine Tailings ◽  
Fluid Fine Tailings ◽  
Oil Sands Tailings ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Solids Content

Accelerating dewatering of fluid fine tailings (FFT) to facilitate land reclamation is a major challenge to the oil sands industry in Canada. A new method was tested, addition of Tubifex to FFT. Tubifex is an indigenous earthworm in Canada. The survival rate tests showed that Tubifex can survive in oil sands tailings and penetrate to 42 cm depth (maximum depth tested). Columns (5 L of FFT) were set-up with tailings alone, Tubifex treated tailings and polymer-Tubifex treated tailings. Test results showed that (a) the final mud–water interface of tailings alone was 26% higher than that of Tubifex treated tailings; (b) solids content of Tubifex treated tailings was 21% more than that of tailings alone; (c) Tubifex was capable to accelerate the dewatering process of both cationic and anionic polymer treated tailings; (d) anionic polymer was superior in facilitating long-term dewatering and its coupled effects with Tubifex were better than the cationic polymer.

Status of the Development and Application of Oil Sand

2012 ◽  
Vol 562-564 ◽  
pp. 367-370
Author(s):  
Jia He Chen
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Unconventional Oil ◽  
Oil Resources ◽  
Conventional Oil

Oil and natural gas are important energy and chemical raw materials, its resources are gradually reduced. With the rapid development of the global economy, the conventional oil resources can’t meet the rapid growth of oil demand, people began turning to unconventional oil resources, one of which is the oil sands. Oil sands is unconventional oil resources, if its proven reserves are converted into oil, it will be much larger than the world's proven oil reserves. Canadian oil sands reserves stand ahead in the world, followed by the former Soviet Union, Venezuela, the United States and China. However, due to its special properties, different mining and processing technology, and higher mining costs compared with conventional oil, the research of oil sands makes slow progress. At present, due to the rising of world oil price, oil sands mining technology have attracted more and more attention, and have developed a lot.

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