Using Polymer Reaction Engineering Principles to Help the Environment: The Case of the Canadian Oil Sands Tailings

The Canadian oil sands reserves are an important national resource with a large impact on the Canadian economy. Unfortunately, oil sands extraction processes generate toxic by-products called mature fine tailings that need to be stored in disposal ponds for a very long time before the land can be reclaimed. This serious environmental liability needs to be addressed to reduce the environmental footprint of oil sands operations in Canada. In our research group, we have been applying polymer reaction engineering principles to develop new polymer flocculants specifically designed to treat oil sands tailing ponds. This article gives an overview of the research activities in our laboratory in the area of water-soluble polymer flocculants for the efficient dewatering, consolidation and densification of mature fine tailings.