Bioprocessing-Based Approach for Bitumen/Water/Fines Separation and Hydrocarbon Recovery from Oil Sands Tailings

Brigmon, Robin L.; Berry, Christopher J.; Wade, Arielle; Simpson, Waltena

doi:10.1080/15320383.2015.1020408

Bioprocessing-Based Approach for Bitumen/Water/Fines Separation and Hydrocarbon Recovery from Oil Sands Tailings

Journal Article · Wed May 04 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Soil and Sediment Contamination

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15320383.2015.1020408· OSTI ID:1254428

Brigmon, Robin L. ^[1]; Berry, Christopher J. ^[1]; Wade, Arielle ^[2]; Simpson, Waltena ^[2]

Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)
South Carolina State Univ., Orangeburg, SC (United States)

Oil sands are a major source of oil, but their industrial processing generates tailings ponds that are an environmental hazard. The main concerns are mature fine tailings (MFT) composed of residual hydrocarbons, water, and fine clay. Tailings ponds include toxic contaminants such as heavy metals, and toxic organics including naphthenics. Naphthenic acids and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degrade very slowly and pose a long-term threat to surface and groundwater, as they can be transported in the MFT. Research into improved technologies that would enable densification and settling of the suspended particles is ongoing. In batch tests, BioTiger™, a microbial consortium that can metabolize PAHs, demonstrated improved oil sands tailings settling from a Canadian tailings pond. Results also showed, depending on the timing of the measurements, lower suspended solids and turbidity. Elevated total organic carbon was observed in the first 48 hours in the BioTiger™-treated columns and then decreased in overlying water. Oil sands tailings mixed with BioTiger™ showed a two-fold reduction in suspended solids within 24 hours as compared to abiotic controls. The tailings treated with BioTiger™ increased in microbial densities three orders of magnitude from 8.5 × 105 CFU/mL to 1.2 × 108 CFU/mL without any other carbon or energy source added, indicating metabolism of hydrocarbons and other available nutrients. Results demonstrated that bioaugmentation of BioTiger™ increased separation of organic carbon from particles in oil sands and enhanced settling with tailings with improved water quality.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC09-08SR22470

OSTI ID:: 1254428

Report Number(s):: SRNL--STI-2013-00712

Journal Information:: Soil and Sediment Contamination, Journal Name: Soil and Sediment Contamination Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 25; ISSN 1532-0383

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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