Oscillatory rheometry to characterize polymer flocculation of fluid fine tailings

Sasar, Mohammadhasan; Johnston, Cliff T.; Kaminsky, Heather; Santagata, Marika

doi:10.1007/s00397-021-01276-2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…PEW is the thin layer of clear water that forms on the surface of the tailings ponds that is collected and reused in the oil sands industry. The pH (8.56) and electrical conductivity (3.111 mS/cm) of the PEW are close to the values measured on the pore fluids separated after 30 min of centrifugation at 5000 rpm on FFT-1 (8.7 and 3.438 mS/cm) and on FFT-2 (8.7 and 2.795 mS/cm) . With the exception of Na, the concentrations of major cations in the PEW measured using the ICPMS method are generally consistent with literature process water quality data. , Higher concentrations of Na can be ascribed to the repeated recycling of the water over the life of the pond. , …”

Section: Materials and Experimental Methodssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…18 (1 mm) standard sieve and allowed to de-water for 24 h before testing. Similar experimental setups and flocculation procedures have been described in previous studies. , …”

Section: Materials and Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Similar experimental setups and flocculation procedures have been described in previous studies. 48,52 Energy & Fuels 2.3. Separation of Organic Fractions.…”

Section: Materials and Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characterization and Dynamics of Residual Organics in Oil Sands Fluid Fine Tailings

2022

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Fluid fine tailings (FFTs) generated by the surface mining of oil sand ore bodies are high-water-content, clay-rich materials that contain unrecovered bitumen and additional residual organics, including solvents used during bitumen extraction. Despite a large accumulated inventory of these tailings and despite the environmental implications and challenges that the presence of organics poses, little is known about the differences in the residual organics generated by different bitumen extraction processes and about the effects of polymeric flocculation on mineral–organic interactions. This study investigated residual organics in two compositionally different FFTs both before and after flocculation with a commercially available polyacrylamide polymer. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and evolved gas analysis (EGA-TG-FTIR) were used to characterize the makeup of total organics, free bitumen, and mineral-associated organics. These observations highlighted distinct differences between the FFTs. Relative to the sample receiving waste only from the bitumen extraction process (FFT-1), the FFT sample that received waste from both the extraction and the froth treatment processes (FFT-2) exhibited a higher residual organic content and a larger fraction of lower-molecular-mass organic substances and showed a proportionally smaller release of free bitumen as a result of the washing process, evidence of a higher fraction of mineral-associated organics. Moreover, TG and FTIR analyses showed that the free bitumen released from both FFTs contained a higher fraction of lighter organics and was characterized by a more ordered molecular structure compared to the remaining organics. Finally, the study also found that the bitumen release characteristics of FFT-1 were fundamentally different from those of FFT-2. Bitumen release continued to be observed from both FFTs after polymeric flocculation.

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Section: Materials and Experimental Methodssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…18 (1 mm) standard sieve and allowed to de-water for 24 h before testing. Similar experimental setups and flocculation procedures have been described in previous studies. , …”

Section: Materials and Experimental Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Characterization and Dynamics of Residual Organics in Oil Sands Fluid Fine Tailings

2022

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Polymeric flocculation of oil sands tailings: Unveiling rheological indicators and dynamics of bitumen release

Sasar,

Johnston,

Santagata

2024

Can J Chem Eng

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Polymeric flocculation is widely used to accelerate the dewatering and consolidation of oil sands fluid fine tailings (FFTs). Optimizing flocculation requires a fundamental understanding of the changes to the internal structure of the material with polymer addition. Key challenges include sensitivity of flocculation to polymer dose, mixing conditions, and composition of individual FFTs. Moreover, despite the environmental implications, little is known of the effects of flocculation on the mobility of the residual organics present in the tailings. In this paper, advanced rheological tests are used to probe the formation and development of the polymer–clay structure during flocculation in near‐real time. This is achieved through a novel setup for controlled delivery of the polymer directly into the measuring cell of a rheometer. This enables continuous monitoring of the rheological parameters during the flocculation process and yields consistent and reproducible samples. An optical monitoring system is used to relate rheological measurements to water release and to changes in the surface accumulation of the residual bitumen. The water‐release polymer dose is found to be associated with a distinct rheological response highlighting the potential use of rheometry for polymer dosing/mixing optimization in real time and on a continuous basis in thickeners and inline flocculation systems.

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Optimization of indigenous natural coagulants process for nitrate and phosphate removal from wet coffee processing wastewater using response surface methodology: In the case of Jimma Zone Mana district

Getahun

Asaithambi

Befekadu

et al. 2023

Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering

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Oscillatory rheometry to characterize polymer flocculation of fluid fine tailings

Cited by 4 publications

References 52 publications

Characterization and Dynamics of Residual Organics in Oil Sands Fluid Fine Tailings

Characterization and Dynamics of Residual Organics in Oil Sands Fluid Fine Tailings

Polymeric flocculation of oil sands tailings: Unveiling rheological indicators and dynamics of bitumen release

Optimization of indigenous natural coagulants process for nitrate and phosphate removal from wet coffee processing wastewater using response surface methodology: In the case of Jimma Zone Mana district

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