Determination of ultratrace (&lt;0.1 mg/kg) elements in Athabasca Bituminous Sands mineral and bitumen fractions using inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS)

Bicalho, Beatriz; Grant-Weaver, Iain; Sinn, Caleb; Donner, Mark W.; Woodland, Sarah; Pearson, G.; Larter, Steve; Shotyk, William

doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2017.05.095

Cited by 39 publications

(45 citation statements)

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“…Soils containing shallow bitumen deposits were significantly enriched in all four of the target trace metals, and this pattern translated into the soil pore water concentrations. Given that the DNA analysis of root samples confirmed the presence of jack pine roots at depths with elevated and more available concentrations of trace metals, it is likely the increase in Ni and V within the woody tissue of tree stems can be attributed to roots interacting with bitumen in the soil.The enrichment of V, Ni, Mo, and Re in bulk soil samples containing bitumen is consistent with the findings ofBicalho et al (2017).…”

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confidence: 88%

Trace metals as indicators of tree rooting in bituminous soils

et al. 2020

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In some reclamation practices, following bitumen mining in the Canadian Boreal forest, overburden containing low concentrations of hydrocarbons (<8% of bulk soil volume) is buried under suitable soils. Residual hydrocarbons may influence the growth of trees used in afforestation of reclaimed sites, thus determining whether roots interact with buried bitumen is a key to predicting reclamation success. As the organic fraction of bitumen is enriched in vanadium, nickel, molybdenum, and rhenium, dendrochemistry may be a method to determine whether tree roots are interacting with bitumen without disturbing soils. We analyzed trace concentrations of these metals in soil, soil pore water, and tree cores of Pinus banksiana growing on natural bitumen deposits and sites free of bitumen. If roots are present within bitumen and passively uptake trace metals during water transport and wood growth, metals enriched in bitumen should be present in higher concentrations in the woody tissue of trees growing in bituminous soils compared to trees growing in bitumen-free soils. Concentrations of nickel in trees growing on shallow bitumen deposits were approximately 3× higher than those growing in bitumen-free soils. The concentration of vanadium (1.33 μg kg −1 in younger wood and 3.21 μg kg −1 in older wood) was also elevated in trees on bituminous sites, though not significantly. Molybdenum concentrations decreased by 25% in trees growing on bituminous sites, likely an outcome of soil pH. This research supports the use of dendrochemistry to investigate, and potentially monitor, tree rooting at depth in substrates with signature metals.

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confidence: 88%

Trace metals as indicators of tree rooting in bituminous soils

et al. 2020

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“…Classes of constituents include suspended solids (e.g., clay, silt), bitumen, dissolved organic compounds (e.g., organic acids and bases, polar organics, nonpolar organics), and dissolved inorganic materials (e.g., salts, trace elements, ammonia). Some components of OSPW are well understood: trace elements including metals, semimetals, and metalloids (Nix and Martin ; Siwik et al ; Bicalho et al ; Donner et al ), salts and ammonia (COSIA ), and suspended solids (El‐Din et al ; COSIA ; McQueen, Hendrikse et al ). However, the complexity of the organics in OSPW creates a practical challenge for determining treatment methods (Headley et al ; Pereira et al 2013; Goff et al ; Brown and Ulrich ; Quinlan and Tam ; Wilde et al ; Ajaero et al ), in addition to estimating potential risks (West et al ; Huang et al ).…”

Section: Workhop Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of Existing Science to Inform Oil Sands Process Water Release: A Technical Workshop Summary

Tanna¹,

Redman

Frank

et al. 2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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The extraction of oil sands from mining operations in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region uses an alkaline hot water extraction process. The oil sands process water (OSPW) is recycled to facilitate material transport (e.g., ore and tailings), process cooling, and is also reused in the extraction process. The industry has expanded since commercial mining began in 1967 and companies have been accumulating increasing inventories of OSPW. Short‐ and long‐term sustainable water management practices require the ability to return treated water to the environment. The safe release of OSPW needs to be based on sound science and engineering practices to ensure downstream protection of ecological and human health. A significant body of research has contributed to the understanding of the chemistry and toxicity of OSPW. A multistakeholder science workshop was held in September 2017 to summarize the state of science on the toxicity and chemistry of OSPW. The goal of the workshop was to review completed research in the areas of toxicology, chemical analysis, and monitoring to support the release of treated oil sands water. A key outcome from the workshop was identifying research needs to inform future water management practices required to support OSPW return. Another key outcome of the workshop was the recognition that methods are sufficiently developed to characterize chemical and toxicological characteristics of OSPW to address and close knowledge gaps. Industry, government, and local indigenous stakeholders have proceeded to utilize these insights in reviewing policy and regulations. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:519–527. © 2019 SETAC

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“…In addition, due to lipophilicity of these minerals, they are more easily migrating into the asphalt froth. 41,42 Therefore, to further improve the froth quality, more efforts should be made to separate these particles.…”

Section: Mineral Redistribution Aer the Reactive Extractionmentioning

confidence: 99%