Project Overview

Surface mining of oil sands in Alberta (Canada) and the subsequent extraction of bitumen creates a significant amount of oil sands tailings. Currently, the total fluid fine tailings (FFT) volume exceeds 1.2 billion m³. One of the promising solutions for FFT reclamation is end pit lakes (EPLs) construction. EPLs are permanent structures where oil sands tailings are water capped. One of the challenging aspects of EPL technology is the quality of the aquatic cover, due to high turbidity and the flux of organic compounds and trace elements.

The proposed research will continue observations on previously established experimental vessels and construct a set of new experiments to optimize subaqueous cap parameters. Six 120-liter columns in which oil sands tailings are covered with either sand or a combination of bitumen and sand will be added. The FFT in the experimental columns will be amended with hydrocarbons to enhance microbial activity, activate methane production, and stimulate flux from the FFT layer to the water cap. The objective of the proposed experiment is to evaluate the applicability of the subaqueous cap technique for end-pit lakes and find optimal parameters for its design, including thickness of sand cap and the potential addition of other layers.