2016 COSIA–AI-EES OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS conference/COSIA... · 2017-10-11 · 4 2016 COSIA–AI-EES OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

AGENDA, SPEAKERS AND PRESENTATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE 1

2016COSIA–AI-EES

OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND

WORKSHOPS

BMO CENTRE, STAMPEDE PARK CALGARY, ALBERTA

MARCH 21–23, 2016

The focus of this year’s conference is to become world leaders in water management through strategic planning, research, technology deployment and operational excellence in Canada’s Oil Sands. The presentations and posters will span the water topic areas for oil sands mining and/or in-situ operations as well as environmental monitoring.

As a committee, we hope that you find the program as informative, engaging and insightful as we do. Please join us and ensure to connect with fellow delegates at our networking cocktail reception on the evening of March 22 at the BMO Conference Centre. We look forward to you taking part in this event and trust that you find it valuable.

The COSIA – AI-EES Water Conference is striving for our meetings to be as green as possible. This document is available as a downloadable pdf only. If you must print, please reuse this program by passing it on to a colleague; if you must dispose of it, please recycle.

WELCOME

GREEN MEETINGS

It is our sincere pleasure to welcome you to the COSIA – AI-EES Water Conference, built on the success of previous Water Conferences.

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS: JOHN BROGLY, CANADA’S OIL SANDS INNOVATION ALLIANCE (COSIA) | BRETT PURDY, ALBERTA INNOVATES – ENERGY ENVIRONMENT SOLUTIONS (AI-EES) | CHRIS GODWALDT, COSIA | BRITTANY HATELY, COSIA | ALAN PEATS, BP | ANITA SELINGER, SUNCOR ENERGY | ASFAW BEKELE, IMPERIAL OIL | DAVE ROWLEY, CONOCOPHILLIPS CO. | JEAN-MARC JOSSINET, NEXEN CNOOC LTD. | JOHN ZHOU, AI-EES | RICHARD NELSON, AI-EES | VICKI LIGHTBOWN, AI-EES

2 2016 COSIA–AI-EES OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS


COSIA–AI-EES WATER CONFERENCE 2016 Under the theme “Becoming world leaders in water management through strategic planning, research, technology deployment and operational excellence in Canada’s Oil Sands”, this event will focus on the following four areas.

REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIES • Drivers in water management and technology development plans• Regional water strategies and plans• Groundwater and surface water sustainability• Provincial and federal government water plans and policies • Development of management tools (e.g. water models) • Determining long term changes in on site water

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT• Novel in situ treatment technologies and processes• Treatment of tailings water and other oil sands processed affected water• Treatment wetlands and end pit lakes• Waste disposal treatment and methods• Water characterization and analytical techniques including methods development for chemical fingerprinting

TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT• Deployment of technology that both improve environmental outcomes and reduce capital and/or operating costs• Commercialization of technologies and lessons learned• Advances in on-line analyzers and process control

OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE• Unit process optimization (e.g. recycling efficiencies, reduction in water usage)• Best practices


SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Monday, March 21TIME 8:00am Registration 8:30am-12:00pm Oil Sands 101 – Mining & In Situ Water Fundamentals Oil Sands 103 – Design of Monitoring Programs 12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch & Networking 1:00pm-5:10pm Oil Sands 201 – In Situ Water Fundamentals Oil Sands 202 – Mining

Tuesday, March 22TIME PLENARY 7:15am-8:00am Registration and Breakfast8:00am-8:30am Welcome Address from COSIA CE, Dan Wicklum and COSIA Water Director, John Brogly8:35am-8:55am Keynote Address – Honourable Shannon Phillips, Alberta Environment and Parks Minister9:00am-9:30am University of Alberta – Trace Metal Concentrations in the Athabasca River Are at or Below Those of Bottled Water9:35am-10:05am Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd. – Natural Discharge and its Role in Athabasca River Quality: Resolving Complex Systems10:05am-10:25am Coffee Break, Poster Presentations10:30am-11:00am Alberta Environment & Parks – Development of Groundwater Policy for Alberta's Oil Sands Region11:05am-11:35am Suncor – Water Technology Development Center11:40am-12:10pm University of Calgary – Development of Electrocoagulation for Oil Sands Water Treatment Applications12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch and Networking, Poster Presentations

BREAKOUT STREAMSTIME IN SITU STEAM GENERATION ATHABASCA WATERSHED OSPW ANALYTICAL METHODS MODELING AND MONITORING METHODS

1:10pm-1:40pm CONOCOPHILLIPS SUNCOR SHELL Off-Spec Boiler Feed-water Steam Substance Load Allocation Comparison of High and Low Resolution Response: Current Practices for Naphthenic Acid Analysis in Oil Sands Efficient Operation Process Affected Water Sources

1:45pm-2:15pm

2:20pm-2:50pm

2:50pm-3:15pm

3:20pm-3:50pm

3:55pm-4:25pm

4:30pm-5:00pm

5:15pm-7:15pm

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARYCauses and Prevention of Scale Formation: Selected Examples

CANADIAN NATURAL A Novel Semi-Empirical Model for OTSG Steam Quality Prediction

Coffee Break, Poster Presentations

PARSONSCombining Best Practices for Steam Generator Feed Water Treating from California and Alberta

ECO-TEC INC.Zero Lime Softening - A Review of the Chemical Basis for its Validity

PROCESS ECOLOGY INC.An Innovative Approach to Evaluate New Technologies in SAGD Plants

GOLDER ASSOCIATESUnderstanding Aerial Deposition of Metals and PAHs in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region FOUR ELEMENTS CONSULTINGPredictive Modelling for the Athabasca River to Support Regional Management Framework and Monitoring Programs

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTARedox State Speciation of Arsenic and Selenium in the Lower Athabasca River and Watershed

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTATrace Metals in the Lower Athabasca River are Dominated by Particulate Forms

SWAMP LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTASize-Based Separation of ‘Dissolved’ Trace Metal Species in the Athabasca River Using AF4-UV-ICPMS: Towards Improved Estimation of Bioavailability and Toxicology

EXXONMOBILAquatic Toxicity of Acid Extractable Organics: Modeling and Alternative Test Methods

UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWANReview of the Composition and Toxicity of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water: A Call for Consistency

CANADIAN NATURALManaging Highly Saline Mine Depressurization Water

BARR ENGINEERING CO.Predicting Water Accumulation at a Zero-Discharge Mining Operation

SHELLOperational Water Management Costs – a Modelled Approach

IN SITU STEAM WATER TREATMENT ATHABASCA WATERSHED ONSITE WATER MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY MODELING AND MONITORING FOR MINES

Cocktail Reception and Poster Presentations


Wednesday, March 23TIME PLENARY 7:15am-8:00am Registration and Breakfast8:00am-8:15am Welcome Address from AI-EES, John Zhou 8:20am-8:50am Alberta Environment & Parks – Towards an Integrated Water Management Approach for Oil Sands Mines8:55am-9:25am University of Alberta – Overview of the NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment9:30am-10:00am University of Alberta – Searching for Simple Answers in the Super Complex World of Oil Sands Process Water10:00am-10:20am Coffee Break, Poster Presentations

BREAKOUT STREAMSTIME IN SITU WATER CHEMISTRY OSPW WATER TREATMENT OSPW PASSIVE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES TECHNOLOGIES

10:20am-10:50am

10:55am-11:25am

11:30am-12:00pm

12:00pm-1:00pm

1:10pm-1:40pm

1:45pm-2:15pm

2:20pm-2:50pm

2:50pm-3:15pm

3:20pm-3:50pm

3:55pm-4:25pm

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARYUnderstanding the Complexity of Organics in Waters from SAGD Operation Treatment Plants: Dilbit Versus Hotbit

ALBERTA INNOVATES–TECHNOLOGY FUTURES Development of a New Online Elemental Analyzer Based on Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

IBM ALMADEN RESEARCH CENTREEffective Control of Oil- and Bio-Fouling Using Ultrathin Nanogel Starpolymer Coatings on Water Purification Membranes

ALBERTA WATERSMARTMagnesium Oxide Dosing Systems for Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery – Developing Operation and Design Guidelines

PEROXYCHEM LLCThe Use of Hydrogen Peroxide for H2S Oxidation in SAGD Produced Water – Corrosion Impact

NATURAL RESOURCES CANADAApplication of Ceramic Membranes in Treatment of SAGD and Oily Produced Water

SALTWORKS TECHNOLOGIES INC.True Zero Liquid Discharge Treatment of SAGD Wastewaters: On-Site Pilot Results and Economics

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAMembranes for SAGD Produced Water Treatment

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAComparison of UV/Hydrogen Peroxide, Ferrate(VI), and Ozone in Oxidizing Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAOptimization of Operating Conditions of an Anoxic-Aerobic Membrane Bioreactor for OSPW Treatment

TITANIUM CORPORATIONFit-for-Reuse Water from Froth Treatment Tailings Through Novel Hydrocarbon Removal, Ultrafiltration and Oxidation Technologies

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAEffect of Ozonation on Fouling Behaviors of Membrane Bioreactors for the Treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW)

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTARemediation of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) by Indigenous Microorganisms in Fixed Bed Biofilm Reactors

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAIron Impregnated Carbon Supports for Fenton-like Degradation of Naphthenic Acids

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAToxicity of Raw and Ozone Treated Oil Sands Process-Affected Waters Using Mammalian Macrophages

SHELLIsolation and Characterization of the Primary Toxic Component in Oil Sands Process-Affected Water

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOOSolar Photocatalytic Degradation of Naphthenic Acids in Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW)

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARYAlgal-Based Remediation Strategy for Detoxification of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW)

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAMonitoring Chemical Flux Across Fine Tailings-Cap Water Interface in Mesocolumns Simulating an End Pit Lake (Volumes at Syncrude)

ALBERTA ENVIRONMENT & PARKSDisambiguation of Seepage in Alberta Oil Sands (GW)

UNIVERSITY OF REGINAA 900-Year Perspective on Surface Water Supplies in the Athabasca River Basin (Water Management)

TECK/GOLDER ASSOCIATESOil Sands Mine Water Supply Risk Management Planning and Design

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTAFORWARD III: Watershed Research and Modelling for Mine Reclamation

DELTARES / TU DELFTHow to use Flocculation to Increase the Water Quality in End Pit Lakes

*Agenda is subject to change.

Lunch and Networking, Poster Presentations

Coffee Break, Poster Presentations

IN SITU STEAM WATER TREATMENT OSPW WATER TREATMENT ATHABASCA WATERSHED TECHNOLOGIES MODELING AND MONITORING

IN SITU STEAM WATER TREATMENT TOXICITY OF OSPW MINE RECLAMATION


BMO CONFERENCE CENTRE FLOOR PLAN


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS With industry support from these leading organizations, COSIA and AI-EES are proud to present a world-class event focused on the issues of water use in the oil sands industry in Alberta.

The COSIA – AI-EES Oil Sands Water Conference simply wouldn’t happen without sponsorship. We encourage all delegates to make an effort to speak with these dedicated industry supporters.

RIVER SPONSORS POND SPONSORS

FUTURE SPONSORSHIP Thinking about sponsoring a future COSIA Water Conference? Our team is happy to answer any questions you might have – we look forward to hearing from you.

Brittany HatelyCOSIA Water AdministrationPhone: 403.444.5280Email: [email protected]


WORKSHOP PROGRAM Monday, March 21

7:30 – 8:30 AM REGISTRATION Room: ConocoPhillips and Nexen

8:30 – 12:00 PM OIL SANDS 101 – MINING & IN SITU WATER FUNDAMENTALS Room: ConocoPhillips Auditorium, Gulf Canada Square, 3rd floor, 401 9 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta

Preston McEachern This course is essential for anyone new to the oil sands, offering an introduction to water issues in oil sands mining and in situ production. The course will provide a broad overview of the oil sands history, current development, and its global context, before focusing on water in the oil sands for mine and in situ production. Water in the oil sands will be explored in the context of obtaining, using, and cleaning it for reuse or return. Finally, the course will provide an overview of current and emerging water policy issues, and highlight current challenges/hot topics everyone new to the oil sands should be aware of.

8:30 – 12:00 PM OIL SANDS 103 – DESIGN OF MONITORING PROGRAMS Room: Nexen Conference Center, Plus 15 level/2nd Floor, 801 – 7 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Kelly Munkittrick, COSIA This course addresses industry-defined research needs and challenges related to monitoring in the oil sands region. COSIA has recently completed a two-year strategic planning exercise to define gaps and opportunities related to accelerating the pace of improvement in environmental performance in the oil sands. Environmental monitoring plays a critical role in evaluating performance, and a large proportion of the current external monitoring research is focused on areas and issues that are not actionable by the industry. The goal of this presentation is to enable better uptake of research results by clarifying some common misconceptions and better communicating end-user driven research needs related to key monitoring issues in the oil sands. It is hoped that research will be more actionable if there is better communication from industry about their context, concerns, objectives and realities. The focus of recent oil sands monitoring initiatives and research will be examined, with an emphasis on exploring opportunity areas and challenges related to monitoring in the oil sands. The objective of the presentation will be to contextualize oil sands monitoring research needs in terms of industry priorities for relevant, actionable research.


WORKSHOP PROGRAM Monday, March 21

12:00 – 1:00 PM NETWORKING BREAK & LUNCH Room: ConocoPhillips and Nexen

1:00 – 5:00 PM OIL SANDS 201 – IN SITU WATER FUNDAMENTALS Room: ConocoPhillips Auditorium, Gulf Canada Square, 3rd floor, 401 9 Ave SW, Calgary, Alberta

Preston McEachern This course is a continuation of the Oil Sands 101 morning session. It is also relevant for those who already have an understanding of basic water use at in situ facilities. In Oil Sands 201, we will dive deeper into water issues extending from the basic flow sheet for standard through to zero liquid discharge (ZLD) designs. We will examine issues including boilers and boiler feed requirements, treatment options such as softening, reverse osmosis (RO), and emerging desalination as well as managing waste streams from concentrated brines, and lime sludge, to emulsions. The intent is to provide a more detailed examination of water use for in situ production and the challenges in obtaining, using and cleaning it for disposal or reuse.

1:00 – 5:10 PM OIL SANDS 202 – MINING Room: Nexen Conference Center, Plus 15 level/2nd Floor, 801 – 7 Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta

Preston McEachern This course is a continuation of the Oil Sands 101 Workshop held in the morning session or for those who have an understanding of basic water use at mine sites. In Oil Sands 202, we will dive deeper into design and ongoing operational issues including: planning and use of site water; depressurization management including salt accumulation; treatment (physical, chemical and biological) for reuse and/or discharge; and tailings management issues from the perspective of water (rather than clay) management. The course will also examine challenges including aquifer management, water liability as it may interface with mining financial security plan (MFSP) and finally review reclamation issues and the reconstruction of watersheds with good water quality.


POSTER SESSIONS Tuesday, March 22

POSTER SESSIONS

OSPW ACTIVE TREATMENTGolder Associates Reducing Long-Term Liability Through Geochemical Characterization Programs: What can be learned from other mining industries?

Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd. Climate, Water Availability, and the Success of the Oil Sands (Wetlands)

University of Alberta Desalination of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water by Forward Osmosis Using Basal Depressurized Water (BDW)

University of Alberta Optimization of Membrane Bioreactor for the Treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water Treatment

University of Alberta Removing Naphthenic Acids from Oil Sands Process-Affected Water Using Electro-Adsorption Process

University of Alberta, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Optimization of Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) for the Treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water

University of Calgary, Department of Biological Sciences Development of a Plant Cell Biosensor of Naphthenic Acid Toxicity Using Fluorescent Organelle Markers

OSPW ANALYTICAL METHODSMaxxam Analytics Passive Membrane Samplers to Assess Low Level PAH Water Contamination

OSPW PASSIVE TREATMENTOceans-EWS Treatment Potential of the Application of MSR Technology™ in the Alberta Oil Sands (Wetlands)

Stantec Consulting Selenium Removal Technologies, New Trends

TOXICITY OF OSPWUniversity of Calgary Assessing the Health Impact of Phosphate Bio-Stimulated OSPW on Embryonic Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) (Monitoring)

TREATMENT TECHNOLOGYCenter for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE), Schulich School of Engineering An Advanced Oxidation Process Coupled With Reverse Osmosis for the Treatment of SAGD Blowdown Impurities

Chem Werx Inc. Best Practice to Clean Oil Fouled Ion Exchange Resins

Dynasonic Global Dynasonic Oil/Water Separator – Reduce Water Processing "Pots and Pans" on Your Next SAGD Site

University of Calgary Dissolved Organic Matter Characterization and Photodegradation of SAGD Boiler Feed Water

WATER-LAND NEXUSAlberta WaterSMART An Athabasca First: Collaborative Water Management Tools for Sustainable Resource Development in the River Basin

WATERSHEDAlberta Innovates–Technology Futures Natural Arsenic Sources and Distribution in Groundwater from the Cold Lake-Beaver River Watershed

Deltares Knowledge Management for Integrated Water Resources Management: A Dutch Perspective

Natural Resources Canada Colloids in Ground and Surface Waters of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region: Initial Results (GW)

University of Alberta A Spatial and Temporal Assessment of Contaminants in Otoliths from the Lower Athabasca Region (Monitoring)

To complement our technical program, COSIA is pleased to showcase 36 poster presentations at this year’s conference. The posters will be unveiled during the first coffee/networking break on Tuesday, March 22 and will be available for viewing until the close of the conference Wednesday, March 23.


POSTER SESSIONS Tuesday, March 22

University of Alberta, SWAMP Laboratory, Department of Renewable Resources Big Data, Big Opportunities: Fluorescence and Mass Spectral Analyses of NOM for Fingerprinting the Lower Athabasca River

University of Calgary Substantial Young Streamflow in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

OTHERAdvisian, WorleyParsons Group Integrated Surface Water and Groundwater Modelling for Oil Sands Reclamation

Alberta Innovates–Technology Futures Quantification of Naphthenic Acids in Water Samples: Challenges for complex matrix?

Athabasca University Bacterial Biosensors for High Throughput Water Monitoring of Naphthenic Acids and Screening for Bioremediation Pathways

Barr Engineering Major Ion Chemical Evolution in Oil Sands Process Waters

CSA Group – Canadian Standards Association Standards for Sustainability of Water Resources in Working Landscapes

Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd. Physical Water Management Optimization Using Agent-Based Modelling (ABM)

Shell Embryo Larval Effects Fathead Minnow

Shell Natural Capital of Water

University of Alberta Impacts of Ozone-Based Advanced Oxidation Processes on the Oil Sands Process-Affected Water Remediation

University of Alberta Optimization of Operating Conditions of a Membrane Bioreactor for Raw and Ozonated OSPW Treatment (Different Operating Conditions)

University of Alberta Study on Bioreactors for Oil Sands Process Affected Water Treatment by Microbial and Microsensor Technology

University of Alberta, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Development of Nanocomposite Polymeric Membranes with Enhanced Properties for Oil Sands Process-Affected Water Treatment

University of Alberta, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Electrochemical Degradation of Naphthenic Acids by Using Graphite and (Ti/RuO2â€“IrO2) Anodes

University of Alberta, Department of Civil Environmental Engineering Fractionation of Oxy and Sulphur-Containing Naphthenic Acids Species via Ag-Ion Solid Phase Extraction


CONFERENCE PROGRAM Tuesday, March 22

7:15 – 8:00 AM BREAKFAST AND REGISTRATION Room: Palomino Foyer

8:00 – 8:30 AM WELCOME ADDRESS Room: Palomino Hall

Dan Wicklum, COSIA and John Brogly, COSIA

8:35 – 8:55AM KEYNOTE ADDRESS Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Honourable Shannon Phillips, Alberta Environment and Parks Minister

9:00 – 9:30 AM TRACE METAL CONCENTRATIONS IN THE ATHABASCA RIVER ARE AT OR BELOW THOSE OF BOTTLED WATER Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

William Shotyk, University of Alberta It has been claimed that mining and upgrading of the Athabasca Bituminous Sands is a significant source of Ag, Cd, Pb, Sb and Tl to the environment. To test this hypothesis, surface waters were collected in duplicate at 13 locations between Fort McMurray and the Firebag River, a distance of ca. 125 km, and from five tributary streams, using the protocols developed for Arctic ice cores. The purpose of our study was to identify impacts on the abundance of trace metals from industrial development. Concentrations were determined using ICP Q MS (ICAP Qc) and confirmed using ICP SMS (Element 2 XR) in the new, metal free ultraclean SWAMP lab at the University of Alberta.

9:35 – 10:05 AM NATURAL DISCHARGE AND ITS ROLE IN ATHABASCA RIVER QUALITY: RESOLVING COMPLEX SYSTEMS Room: Palomino Hall

Jon Fennell, Integrated Sustainability Consultants Ltd. The Canadian oil sands are significant in size and development potential. Since the inception of surface mining in the late 1960s, overall production (mining and in situ) has increased to over two million barrels per day. The placement of large tailings ponds along the banks of the Athabasca River has long been a concern regarding potential impacts to the aquatic environment. Until recently, leakage of process-affected water from these structures was considered the main source of impact to the river. However, recent investigative work conducted by various individuals and agencies has revealed that natural discharge of low quality, saline groundwater from the subcropping bedrock formations has been responsible for the bulk of inputs to the river. To explore



this further, a multidisciplinary research team from the University of Alberta has been investigating various locations along the Athabasca, Clearwater, and major tributaries using electromagnetic imaging, drive point wells, seepage metres, and geochemical fingerprinting. The objective of this three-year study, co-funded by AI-EES and COSIA, is to elucidate the input of various oil sands related constituents to the Athabasca River, and where this has been occurring upstream and downstream of the mining footprint.

10:05 – 10:25 AM COFFEE BREAK & REFRESHMENTS Room: Palomino Foyer

10:30 – 11:00 AM DEVELOPMENT OF GROUNDWATER POLICY FOR ALBERTA'S OIL SANDS REGION Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Steve Wallace, Alberta Environment & Parks One of the main concerns in Alberta’s Oil Sands Region (AOSR) is the potential effect to groundwater from oil sands projects. To address this, E&P has developed a number of policies to guide stewardship of groundwater during current and future growth in the AOSR. The policies align with the overall principles and goals of Water for Life: Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability and Land Use Framework to manage cumulative and local effects to groundwater on a regional basis. The Groundwater Management Framework (GMF) for the Lower Athabasca Region, The Directive for the Assessment and Management of Nonsaline Groundwater in Direct Contact with Bitumen, and The Directive for Groundwater Management Plans for In Situ Operations: Assessing Thermally Mobilized Constituents for In Situ Operations have been completed or are nearing completion. Further policy development is being considered for protection and management of groundwater in the Shallow Thermal Area by using risk identification and performance monitoring.

11:05 – 11:35 AM WATER TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CENTER Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Basil Perdicakis, Suncor The Water Technology Development Centre (WTDC), located at Suncor’s Firebag Facility, will provide member companies with an asset that is integrally designed into Firebag and provide convenient, continual access to live process fluids for field pilot testing of in situ surface technologies.



11:40 – 12:10 PM DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTROCOAGULATION FOR OIL SANDS WATER TREATMENT APPLICATIONS Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Edward Roberts, University of Calgary Electrocoagulation (EC) is a commercially available water treatment technology, which has been identified as a strategically important part of the solution for future in situ oil sands applications. EC can effectively remove silica along with some organics and hardness. These contaminants are critical as they are associated with scale formation in the steam generators, and limit water recycle rates. Bench scale trials have been carried out which have demonstrated contaminant removal can be effective with EC. However, these trials have also suggested that the operating costs (associated with the energy and electrode consumption) for treatment of the produced water stream are high, while electrode fouling creates operational challenges for these applications. In order to reduce costs there is a need to enhance treatment rates by intensification while reducing energy cost. In addition, the methods for controlling or eliminating electrode fouling, particularly by silica are needed.

12:10 – 1:00 PM NETWORKING LUNCH & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer



BREAKOUT STREAM: IN SITU STEAM GENERATION1:10 – 1:40 PM OFF-SPEC BOILER FEED-WATER STEAM RESPONSE: CURRENT PRACTICES FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Dave Rowley, ConocoPhillips Water requirements in Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery are very high. Typically steam requirements range from two to five barrels of water per barrel of oil produced. To reduce water use in these operations produced water, which has high levels of impurities, is treated and recycled as boiler feed water (BFW) to once through steam generators (OTSGs). The quality of the water sent to OTSGs for steam production is a major factor in maintaining an efficient and productive system. If the BFW contains high levels of impurities it can cause fouling, scaling, and corrosion in the OTSG. This impedes the ability to generate high quality steam and leads to OTSG tubing failure or shutdown. To mitigate OTSG impacts from BFW impurities a number of key water quality parameters are monitored at facilities, and when these parameters are outside a specified range the steam system operation is modified. These operational changes are made based on a facility’s offspec BFW steam response table. The objectives of the offspec BFW steam response work were to: provide a comparison of the offspec BFW steam response tables of eight facilities; and identify common practices and outliers and, where possible, provide current practices for OTSG offspec situations.

1:45 – 2:15 PM CAUSES AND PREVENTION OF SCALE FORMATION: SELECTED EXAMPLES Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Bernhard Mayer, University of Calgary Deposition of minerals (e.g. scales) is a widespread problem in residual management, steam generation, and flowback water or wastewater treatment reducing the efficiency of these operations and causing extended downtime. The Applied Geochemistry group at the University of Calgary specializes in determining the nature and the causes of inorganic scale formation (= mineral precipitation) in water treatment, water processing, and steam generation systems used by the oil and gas industry. Our research group uses sophisticated isotope fingerprinting tools enabling the researchers to conclusively reveal the sources of the elements and compounds that lead to scale formation. The objective of this contribution is to outline approaches designed to better understand the conditions that result in inorganic scale formation and to explore approaches to prevent or reduce scale formation using geochemical models.



2:20 – 2:50 PM A NOVEL SEMI EMPIRICAL MODEL FOR OTSG STEAM QUALITY PREDICTION (CNRL) Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Canadian Natural A novel semi-empirical model was developed based on the vaporization behavior of the saline water in SAGD OTSGs. Unlike pure water, the saline water shows an increase in temperature with vaporization. This behavior was simulated with OLI Electrolyte simulation software for CNRL’s Wolf Lake facility boiler. A robust model equation was then built based on the data set produced by OLI simulation software for varying pressures and temperatures. This model can be fine-tuned (optimized) to each OTSG using a single correction factor (coefficient) for predicting OTSG steam quality. To calculate the individual pass steam quality, a simplified material and heat balance approach was used which required a single correction factor for each pass. Unlike soft sensor model, which is based on complex statistical data mining and optimization, this semi-empirical approach provides advantages which include a prediction based on sound theoretical background and a simplistic model with very few correction factors. Moreover, since the correction factor values are around unity, the fine-tuning of the model for any OTSG would be quick and easy and can be accomplished by the operators.

BREAKOUT STREAM: ATHABASCA WATERSHED MODELING AND MONITORING 1:10 – 1:40 PM SUBSTANCE LOAD ALLOCATION Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Anita Selinger, Suncor A sustainable water management framework for the oil sands region includes four key principles, Shared Value of Water, Watershed Scale Management, Reduce-Reuse-Return, Integrated Options Analysis. Oil Sands mining operators have been working to reduce their water footprint and reuse excess water. To date, oil sands mining operators have not returned oil sands process water (OSPW) to the environment. Consequently, the total fluid containment inventory has increased over each operator’s operational lifetime. The COSIA Water EPA undertook the Regional Substance Load Allocation Study (RSLA) to demonstrate how policies for water quality protection can be implemented using a regional approach to determine acceptable release levels and supportable release quantities. This RSLA study considers the release of treated oil sands process water during operations as a sustainable water management approach. The RSLA model implementation, features and limitations will be explored.



1:45 – 2:15 PM UNDERSTANDING AERIAL DEPOSITION OF METALS AND PAHS IN THE ATHABASCA OIL SANDS REGION Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Todd White, Teck; Cam McNaughton, Golder Studies by government, academia and industry have recorded elevated levels of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in snowpack in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region. These studies indicated that compounds may be transported aerially up to 50 km from the emission sources. In 2014 and 2015, COSIA undertook studies to better understand the emissions, transport and fate of these compounds. In 2014, snowpack data were compiled from government and industry sources to answer a number of key questions, including: How do recent snowpack concentrations in the AOSR compare to historical concentrations, and to snowpack concentrations measured elsewhere? And how do snowpack concentrations vary spatially within the AOSR? In 2015, work was undertaken to refine predictive models, to better understand how these compounds are retained on the landscape, and to use geochemical signatures in forensic fingerprinting, along with an understanding of these compound’s behavior as airborne particulate matter, to identify source- receptor relationships. The methods and results of these studies will be discussed in this presentation.

2:20 – 2:50 PM PREDICTIVE MODELING OF WATER QUALITY USING THE ATHABASCA RIVER MODEL Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Tammy Rosner, Four Elements Consulting The objective of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the Athabasca River Model to support the Surface Water Quality Management Framework for the Lower Athabasca River. The framework includes evaluation of monitored water quality to water quality triggers based on background substance concentrations representing an “early warning system” for potential aquatic effects.



BREAKOUT STREAM: OSPW ANALYTICAL METHODS1:10 – 1:40 PM COMPARISON OF HIGH AND LOW RESOLUTION NAPHTHENIC ACID ANALYSIS IN OIL SANDS PROCESS AFFECTED WATER SOURCES (SHELL) Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Ashley Mahaffey, Shell The objective of this study was to compare different analytical methods currently available to measure the concentration and composition of naphthenic acids in seven groundwater sources and three process water sources collected from an active oil sands lease site spanning over four sampling events. The analyses included three high-resolution methods: Orbitrap mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC- QTOF-MS), and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) using both external (oil sands extracted naphthenic acids) and internal (myristic acid) standards; one unit resolution method: gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) using a commercial and an oil sands extracted naphthenic acids standard; and one low-resolution method: Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy using two commercial (FlukaTM and MerichemTM commercial mixtures) and one oil sands extracted naphthenic acids standard. The goal of this research is to provide a better understanding of the inherent differences in the various techniques available to measure naphthenic acids over a wide range of concentrations and varied compositions. The results of this research can be used for future recommendations as we move towards the adoption of a universally accepted method to measure naphthenic acids in natural and process- affected waters during both active oil sands operations and post-closure reclamation landscapes.

1:45 – 2:15 PM AQUATIC TOXICITY OF ACID EXTRACTABLE ORGANICS: MODELING AND ALTERNATIVE TEST METHODS Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Aaron Redman, ExxonMobil Acid extractable organics (AEOs) represent an important class of compounds in oil sands process waters (OSPWs) that may pose risk to aquatic life. The goal of this work is to develop a framework for establishing water quality benchmarks for AEO to inform regulatory decision-making with respect to restoration goals and OSPW discharge. As a category, AEOs consist of a complex mixture of cyclic, branched and linear aliphatic organic acids. The specific composition varies spatially and temporally and has been shown to influence observed aquatic toxicity. This complexity complicates derivation of water quality criteria intended to protect aquatic life. This presentation will focus on the application of a two component framework for predicting aquatic toxicity of AEOs that includes: 1) mechanistic modeling that relates AEO structure to toxicity and 2) use of passive samplers as a convenient surrogate measurement for quantifying bioavailable AEOs. The validity of this framework is shown by successful application to literature and new experimental toxicity data on single compounds, defined simple mixtures, and actual AEO extracts using both fish and invertebrates. Additional research to further progress the technical basis and acceptance of this framework is discussed.



2:20 – 2:50 PM REVIEW OF THE COMPOSITION AND TOXICITY OF OIL SANDS PROCESS- AFFECTED WATER: A CALL FOR CONSISTENCY Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Ashley Mahaffey, University of Saskatchewan The objective of this review was to summarize the aquatic environmental research through time in the oil sands to provide an understanding of the composition and toxicity of oil sands process affected water (OSPW) as reported in the published literature and to propose future research directions. Literature from the results of two search engines using key words that contained “oil sands tailings pond water,” “oil sands process water” and “oil sands process affected water” over the period of 1975 to 2013 (38 years) was examined. Terminology for the various process affected water types examined in each study was assessed relative to the description of the water provided in each publication. To facilitate comparisons between the variety of oil sands “process affected” water types that were described in the literature, exposures with fish and invertebrates were summarized by water type, species, endpoint and magnitude of change relative to control (if the data were provided). Exposures conducted with the same species, water type and similar experimental conditions were then grouped to assess consistency in the response of fish and invertebrates to each of the process affected water types examined in the literature.

2:50 – 3:15 PM COFFEE BREAK & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer

BREAKOUT STREAM: IN SITU WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY3:20 – 3:50 PM COMBINING BEST PRACTICES FOR STEAM GENERATOR FEED WATER TREATING FROM CALIFORNIA AND ALBERTA Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Stuart Heisler, Parsons In order to lower the capital and operating costs for steam generator feed water treating in Alberta, I sug gest that we compare best practices in steam generator feed water treating for in situ steam injection for heavy oil recovery in California with current practices in Alberta.



3:55 – 4:25 PM ZERO LIME SOFTENING - A REVIEW OF THE CHEMICAL BASIS FOR ITS VALIDITY Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Michael Dejak, Eco-Tec Inc. The cost and complexity of produced water treatment systems for SAGD operations can be dramatically reduced by the elimination of lime softening for the purpose of silica reduction. This presentation will describe the benefits of such a paradigm shift in water treatment system design and will summarize the results of a study which was conducted on behalf of Devon Energy (as a COSIA JIP) which examined the predicted scaling in an OTSG when operated under Zero Lime Softener conditions.

4:30 – 5:00 PM AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO EVALUATE NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN SAGD PLANTS Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Alberto Alva- Argaez, Process Ecology Inc. Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is a widely used thermal production technology to extract bitumen from Alberta’s subsurface oil sands deposits. It currently accounts for around 25 per cent of oil sands production in Alberta and is the fastest growing production method by a large margin. SAGD facilities have highly integrated hydrocarbon and water treatment units. These facilities also feature high degrees of heat integration. In these processes the application of available process integration methods to optimize energy consumption (e.g. conventional energy pinch analysis) may not result in the identification of the best practical energy savings projects due to the impacts on water consumption and overall operating cost. Water and energy demands are closely interrelated such that any intervention to improve the efficiency of the water system generally impacts energy usage (and associated greenhouse gas emissions) and costs. Complex tradeoffs are found when water energy and cost elements are included in the analysis.



BREAKOUT STREAM: ATHABASCA WATERSHED MODELING AND MONITORING3:20 – 3:50 PM REDOX STATE SPECIATION OF ARSENIC AND SELENIUM IN THE LOWER ATHABASCA RIVER AND WATERSHED Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Mark Donner, University of Alberta; Department of Renewable Resources Industrial development of the Athabasca bituminous sands has raised concerns for water quality in the Athabasca River and surrounding watershed. Along with a variety of other potentially toxic trace elements, arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) have been identified as possible contaminants being emitted to the river by industrial activity. Water samples were collected in October of 2014 and 2015 as a part of a multidisciplinary project to study natural and anthropogenic inputs. In total, 32 locations along the Athabasca River were sampled covering a length of approximately 125 km. Additionally, samples were collected from tributaries, springs and groundwater; some of the groundwaters were saline (up to 212,000 μS/cm). Filtered samples (0.45 μm) were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) as well as hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrophotometry (HGAFS). Because the behaviour, fate, and ecological significance of As and Se depends on their redox state speciation, we also determined their speciation using an ion chromatograph (ICS5000) coupled to ICPMS.

3:55 – 4:25 PM TRACE METALS IN THE LOWER ATHABASCA RIVER ARE DOMINATED BY PARTICULATE FORMS Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. Muhammad Javed, University of Alberta Open pit mining and upgrading of the Athabasca Bituminous Sands in northeastern Alberta are claimed to be a significant source of potentially toxic chalcophile elements such as Ag, Cd, Pb, Sb and Tl in the Athabasca River (AR). To test this hypothesis, surface waters were collected in duplicate at 13 locations between Fort McMurray and the Firebag River, a distance of ca. 125 km, as well as from 5 tributary streams, using the protocols developed for Arctic ice cores. The purpose of this study was to compare the concentrations of total (unfiltered water) and particulate (> 0.45 μm) metals in the AR water. Chalcophile elements were measured in the unfiltered water samples and in the suspended particles (> 0.45 μm) from the AR along with trace metals known to be enriched in bitumen (V, N, Mo) and lithophile elements which are assumed to represent the abundance of inorganic colloids (Al, Be, Co, Cr, Fe, Ga, Mn, Th, and Y). Concentrations were determined after digestion of unfiltered water and suspended particles (removed from the 0.45 μm filter membranes) using ICP Q MS (ICAP Qc) in the new, metalfree ultraclean SWAMP lab at the University of Alberta.



4:30 – 5:00 PM SIZE-BASED SEPARATION OF 'DISSOLVED' TRACE METAL SPECIES IN THE ATHABASCA RIVER USING AF4-UV-ICPMS: TOWARDS IMPROVED ESTIMATION OF BIOAVAILABILITY AND TOXICOLOGY Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. Chad Cuss, SWAMP Laboratory, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta Measuring the toxicity of a substance requires knowledge of the exposure level. Due to technological limitations, total dissolved concentration has been used to estimate exposure to metals for aquatic organisms. Hence, regulations rely on total dissolved concentration, even though not all dissolved metal species are accessible to aquatic organisms. Toxicity models such as the biotic ligand model seek to measure toxicity more accurately using the truly 'bioavailable' fraction. Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is a cutting-edge method for separating dissolved material over a size continuum, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) can detect metals at ultra-low concentrations. Coupled together, these instruments are capable of distinguishing the fraction of metals that is truly free (i.e. bioavailable) from larger, less accessible species bound to organic matter or iron oxides. The minimization of potential background contamination (e.g. from sampling equipment/methods and analytical procedures) is a key part of measuring low metal concentrations. We will report on the size-based speciation of dissolved metal species in surface waters, ground waters, and tributaries in the Lower Athabasca River achieved by coupling AF4 to UV absorbance and ICPMS detectors in the ultra-clean, metalfree SWAMP lab at the University of Alberta.

BREAKOUT STREAM: ONSITE WATER MANAGEMENT FOR MINES3:20 – 3:50 PM MANAGING HIGHLY SALINE MINE DEPRESSURIZATION WATER Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Ron McNiel, Canadian Natural Return of depressurization waters, including highly saline waters, to the Athabasca River watershed may present operators with a favorable option for the management of depressurization water based on a range of factors, including net environmental effects. The presentation provides results of various activities to address information gaps associated with the return option.



3:55 – 4:25 PM PREDICTING WATER ACCUMULATION AT A ZERO-DISCHARGE MINING OPERATION Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Cory Anderson, Barr Engineering Co. A Wyoming mining company operates a zero-discharge mining facility that draws operating water from an adjacent river. Historically, onsite ponds have provided sufficient evaporative surface and storage volume to maintain a zero-discharge operation. However, with increasing production and increased river water withdrawal, the site is steadily gaining water with projections to fill in just a few years. The objective was to create a Ponds Management Tool that could be used to predict the water levels on site under a variety of proposed operating conditions to guide management of the ponds. The Ponds Management Tool included plant operations and climate drivers, accounting for the variability in the historic record of each. The tool also included the conversion of liquid water to solid product with the ponds as a water removal mechanism.

4:30 – 5:00 PM OPERATIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT COSTS – A MODELLED APPROACH Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Greg Bolzon, Shell Shell applied an existing downstream supply chain optimization model to understand and establish the cost of water and water management at its upstream Albian Sands operations. The intent of the water accounting project was to quantify the operational costs of water including the intake, transport, treatment, storage and disposal to enable the organization to make more informed decisions about water management on site, understand the cost of water management relative to the overall costs of bitumen extraction and determine the costs of various water streams in the operational process. The modelled approach uses a set of defined rules for allocation of cost to water to gain alignment throughout the business and to use for future modeling. Once the set of rules has been defined, the model can be run with various projection scenarios (for production, water needs and constraints) and technologies to evaluate the change in cost to water throughout the process. The presentation will share the tool and the methods used and provide high-level understanding of the proportionate costs of water management on site. Individual costs of water streams are out of scope. This approach can help to drive economic justification for projects that help better manage water at our sites. The results enable Shell to evaluate opportunities to minimize water waste and improve our operational efficiency with respect to water. It also enables us to be a better-informed partner in stakeholder dialogues regarding water, support external communication, and refine our water management risk mitigation within our business.

5:15 – 7:15 PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer


CONFERENCE PROGRAM Wednesday, March 23

7:15 – 8:00 AM BREAKFAST AND REGISTRATION Room: Palomino Foyer

8:00 – 8:15 AM WELCOME ADDRESS Room: Palomino Hall

John Zhou, AI-EES

8:20 – 8:50 AM TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT APPROACH FOR OIL SANDS MINES Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Sarah Moody, Alberta Environment & Parks, Water Policy Branch The recently released Tailings Management Framework for the Mineable Athabasca Oil Sands (TMF) acknowledges that as oil sands mines accelerate the treatment of fluid tailings, more water will be liberated from the tailings matrix. Over time there will be increasing pressure to effectively manage this water, in addition to the large inventories of oil sands process-affected water some mine operators are already managing. A new approach to water management is needed to assist oil sands mine operators in making good water management decisions as they move forward with their tailings and reclamation goals. To change how water is currently managed on oil sands mine sites, water management activities will need to be assessed comprehensively over a longer timeframe, more holistic and better integrated. This will enhance consistency in water management approaches across upstream oil and gas operations. The full range of water management options will be available to mine operators, including the treatment and release of water generated through tailings treatment and bitumen extraction. This will be accompanied by enhanced regulatory oversight and new expectations for environmental performance. The purpose of this talk is to provide an overview of the key elements and principles of this new water management approach, including discussion of emerging process requirements and key areas for future work.



8:55 – 9:25 AM OVERVIEW OF THE NSERC SENIOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH CHAIR IN OIL SANDS TAILINGS WATER TREATMENT Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Dr. Mohamed Gamal El- Din, University of Alberta Water management is one of the most important challenges that must be met by the oil sands sector. Under current operational scenarios, all waste streams generated are retained on site. However, all mine plans include the eventual return of oil sands process affected water (OSPW) to the environment. Therefore, innovative water treatment processes are required to address the environmental issues associated with large amounts of OSPW. To fulfill these needs, in 2011 an NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC) Program in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment was established to contribute broadly to the research base, fundamental engineering and scientific knowledge, and foundational data that will lead to the environmentally and economically sustainable development of the oil sands operations. The NSERC IRC Program has achieved this vision by developing and assessing innovative water treatment processes and strategies. During the last four and a half years, the NSERC IRC Program has made several important advancements in terms of research, education, training, cooperation and knowledge transfer. This talk will present an overview of the major findings achieved by the NSERC IRC Program since 2011 to the present.

9:30 – 10:00 AM SEARCHING FOR SIMPLE ANSWERS IN THE SUPER COMPLEX WORLD OF OIL SANDS PROCESS WATER Room: Palomino Hall Stream: PLENARY

Dr. Jonathan Martin, University of Alberta The objective of this study was to develop a forensic method that can be used to characterize the range of profiles in natural surface water and groundwater while also differentiating these from tailings pond seepage. Online solid phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography / ultrahigh resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (online SPELC/ Orbitrap MS) was developed for the characterization of thousands of organic species in these water samples. The online SPELC/ Orbitrap MS method eliminates liquid-liquid extraction and minimizes sample preparation contamination, and also is highly sensitive, selective, and reproducible. Principal component analysis was carried out to compare the compositional differences between samples, thereby achieving source discrimination of bitumen derived organic compounds in these samples. This approach can be possibly used for differentiating natural and anthropogenic sources of Bitumen– Derived Organic Compounds to water resources surrounding the Canadian oil sands industry.

10:00 – 10:20 AM COFFEE BREAK & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer



BREAKOUT STREAM: IN SITU WATER CHEMISTRY10:20 – 10:50 AM UNDERSTANDING THE COMPLEXITY OF ORGANICS IN WATERS FROM SAGD OPERATION TREATMENT PLANTS: DILBIT VERSUS HOTBIT Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Dr. Thomas Oldenburg, University of Calgary Oilfield production waters are typically only characterized in a rudimentary manner for major organic components. In collaboration with production companies in Canada we have been characterizing production waters using more holistic and sensitive FTICRMS approaches that can detect novel species through non-targeted analysis approaches. Here we focus on describing the approach for complex organic compound mixtures found in waters associated with thermal recovery processes such SAGD for oil sands bitumen recovery. The higher temperatures involved in thermal recovery, the complex polar compound rich nature of the bitumen, plus the treatment process itself can produce a diverse range of compounds in produced waters. These must be remediated to improve reliability (e.g. reducing fouling), reduce water use and GHG and other environmental emissions. After the SAGD produced oil/water/sand mixture is pumped through the bottom well to the plant the water and sediment is separated from the oil using a DILBIT or HOTBIT process. The water is treated to remove hardness and silica in a recycling process to reuse the water for new steam production. In most water treatment plants, the dissolved organics are not removed to any appreciable extent. We will discuss the differences of the processes on the water quality.

10:55 – 11:25 AM DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW ONLINE ELEMENTAL ANALYZER BASED ON PLASMA ATOMIC EMISSION SPECTROMETRY Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Dr. Stuart Schroeder, Alberta Innovates–Technology Futures It is the intention of Alberta Innovates–Technology Futures to commercialize technology that will allow online elemental analysis of aqueous solutions for industrial process control and environmental monitoring. The unmet need for multi-element aqueous solution elemental analysis extends to many areas of industrial process chemistry and environmental chemistry. Although the chemical physics and experimental methods for spectroscopic detection of elements in solution is well developed, none of the known methods have emerged as a workable alternative for routine online measurement of dissolved species. Currently, the industry standard for multi-element online analysis is Xray fluorescence (XRF). XRF suffers from modest sensitivities with detection limits of 10s of ppm and significant matrix interference effects. These limitations significantly narrow the applied scope of online XRF analysis. Lab based instrumental techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICPAES), and laser induced breakdown spectrometry (LIB S) are inappropriate methodologies for online elemental analysis. This presentation describes the application of the relatively new solution cathode glow discharge (SCGD) technique as an ideal emission source for online monitoring.



11:30 – 12:00 PM EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF OIL-AND BIO-FOULING USING ULTRATHIN NANOGEL STARPOLYMER COATINGS ON WATER PURIFICATION MEMBRANES Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Dr. Young Hye Na, IBM Almaden Research Center Membrane treatment processes, including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO), are widely used in a variety of industries to purify water. They have simple operation and competitive energy efficiency. The oil and gas industry is considering membrane technology to treat produced water and to dewater tailings streams. However, membrane fouling from inorganic salts, emulsified oil droplets, natural organic matters, and microorganisms can result in significant flux decline, more frequent membrane cleaning and membrane replacement and thus increased operational costs. A potential solution is to introduce hydrophilic functionality onto the membrane surface to minimize the interactions between the membrane surface and contaminants. To date, a surface modification strategy that can be easily applied to existing membranes without deteriorating intrinsic performance is yet to be proved. IBM’s Almaden Research Center has a viable technology. IBM’s materials and processes originally developed for nanotechnology and biomedical applications are currently being leveraged to develop highly water- permeable, hydrophilic antifouling materials. The research has thus proved that this material can be applied on multiple commercially available membranes with a straightforward coating process. The structures and compositions of the antifouling materials have been controlled to obtain efficient oil repelling property and antimicrobial function.



BREAKOUT STREAM: OSPW ACTIVE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES10:20 – 10:50 AM COMPARISON OF UV/HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, FERRATE (VI), AND OZONE IN OXIDIZING OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Chengjin Wang, University of Alberta The high concentration and low biodegradability of the organic matters in OSPW prompted extensive chemical oxidation researches in OSPW treatment. So far OSPW has been treated with chlorine oxidation, ozonation, and various advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) including UV/chlorine, UV/ H2O2, and peroxydisulfate oxidation. A well-defined performance comparison among these different oxidation processes is currently not available, mainly due to varying raw OSPW quality among different researches and different experimental designs. Especially, a comparison between selective oxidation and unselective oxidation has not been carried out on OSPW treatment. Selective oxidation attacks mainly the electron rich moieties (ERMs), while unselective oxidation attacks mainly through radicals with less such selectivity. This difference between selective and unselective oxidation might lead to varying performance on transforming the two main organic fractions in OSPW, naphthenic acids (NAs) and aromatics, and will further impact the toxicity of the treated OSPW. The objectives of this study are as follows: 1) to compare the oxidation processes including UV/H2O2, potassium ferrate(VI), and ozone (with and without radical scavenger TBA) in transforming NAs and aromatics in OSPW; 2) to investigate the toxicity of the OSPW treated by different processes; and 3) to explore the mechanisms behind the performance differences.

10:55 – 11:25 AM OPTIMIZATION OF OPERATING CONDITIONS OF AN ANOXIC-AEROBIC MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR FOR OSPW TREATMENT Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Jinkai Xue, University of Alberta Our recent study has showed the effectiveness of membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the treatment of OSPW. In order to develop a suitable OSPW bioremediation system, it is essential to optimize operating conditions of the treatment system, i.e., hydraulic retention time (HRT), nutrient concentration. HRT is an important operating parameter in bioreactor operation, which contributes to different performance, biomass characteristics and microbial community composition. Another important parameter that affects bioreactor performance is the influent nutrient concentration since an optimum nutrient concentration can facilitate growth of degraders leading to the higher treatment efficiency. The objectives of this research are: 1) to optimize operating conditions of MBR systems treating raw and ozonated OSPW; 2) evaluate the influent of HRT and ammonia concentration on the treatment performance and microbial community composition; 3) to compare the treatment performance and microbial community structure when treating raw and ozonated OSPW during the optimization stage.



11:30 – 12:00 PM FIT-FOR-REUSE WATER FROM FROTH TREATMENT TAILINGS THROUGH NOVEL HYDROCARBON REMOVAL, ULTRAFILTRATION AND OXIDATION TECHNOLOGIES Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Scott Nelson, Titanium Corporation Titanium Corporation has developed its proprietary Creating Value from Waste (CVW) process to recover minerals, bitumen and solvent from tailings generated by oil sands froth treatment operations. These tailings are currently going to waste. Titanium has undertaken an R&D programme, culminating in a four year demonstration pilot conducted at CanmetENERGY’s Devon Research Centre, aimed at improving the quality of process affected water in froth treatment tailings to determine whether it can be integrated into utility applications, thereby presenting an opportunity to reduce raw water imports from the Athabasca River. The objective of this study was to demonstrate technologies to reduce the amount of hydrocarbon contaminants, including dissolved organic acids, in water recovered from froth treatment tailings. Such reductions were largely sought using novel filtration media and photocatalytic treatment that offer advantages over conventional technologies.

BREAKOUT STREAM: OSPW PASSIVE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES10:20 – 10:50 AM SOLAR PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF NAPHTHENIC ACIDS IN OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Tim Lashuk, University of Waterloo Bitumen mining in the Canadian oil sands generates large volumes of oil sands process affected water (OSPW), the toxicity of which is due in part to naphthenic acids (NAs) and other acid extractable organics (AEO), which are highly persistent organic pollutants resistant to many attempted forms of treatment. Photocatalysis over titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles is a powerful and inexpensive alternative to current water remediation technologies for the treatment of such difficult pollutants. Photocatalysis operates through the light-driven oxidative decomposition of organic contaminants into innocuous compounds that can be safely discharged into the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of solar photocatalysis over TiO2 to remove AEO from OSPW.



10:55 – 11:25 AM ALGAL-BASED REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR DETOXIFICATION OF OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Lindsay Clothier, University of Calgary The main objective of this research was to develop a passive treatment to detoxify oil sands process affected water (OSPW) using indigenous photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Microbial growth in OSPW was stimulated using phosphate and light exposure. Toxicity assays (Microtox®, Yeast, etc.) were conducted to determine the efficacy of the remediation strategy. Due to the complexity of organics found in OSPW, this research aimed to investigate different components of the acid extractable organics (AEO) fractions to determine which compounds may be contributing to the observed toxicity of OSPW. Analysis of the AEO fraction by Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance – Mass Spectrometry (FTICRMS) was used to identify key components contributing to toxicity (naphthenic acids, sulfur containing compounds, etc.). This research is aimed at identifying which components contribute to toxicity in OSPW, determining the mode of action of these toxic components, and establishing a passive treatment to reduce these components in order to remediate OSPW.

11:30 – 12:00 PM MONITORING CHEMICAL FLUX ACROSS FINE TAILINGS-CAP WATER INTERFACE IN MESOCOLUMNS SIMULATING AN END PIT LAKE (VOLUMES AT SYNCRUDE) Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Kai Wei, University of Alberta Oil sands activity in northern Alberta produces large volumes of fine tailings during bitumen extraction from surface-mined oil sands ores. Fluid fine tailings (FFT), comprised of water, fine clays and unrecovered hydrocarbons, accumulate in tailings ponds. Because FFT in ponds take decades to dewater, their growing inventory (>975 million m3) impels operators to seek alternative management strategies. End Pit Lakes (EPLs) with FFT below a water cap in closed mine pits, are one such option. The expectation is that EPLs will develop into self-sustaining aquatic ecosystems through natural attenuation. Potential issues may include movement of contaminants of potential concern (COPCs) from the FFT into the overlying cap water driven by microbial methanogenic activity that alters FFT porewater chemistry by altering the solid phase of FFT (Siddique et al. 2014. Front. Microbiol. 5:106; Siddique et al. 2014. Front. Microbiol. 5:107). The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of EPLs as reclamation landforms by quantifying the flux of COPCs from underlying FFT into the overlying cap water.

12:00 – 1:00 PM NETWORKING LUNCH & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer



BREAKOUT STREAM: IN SITU WATER TREATMENT 1:10 – 1:40 PM MAGNESIUM OXIDE DOSING SYSTEMS FOR THERMAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY DEVELOPING OPERATION AND DESIGN GUIDELINES Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Claire Jackson, Alberta WaterSMART Producing oil from deep oil sands reservoirs through Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery is a water intensive process. Typically steam requirements range from two to five barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced. Due to large water requirements, recycling and reuse of produced water is mandatory. Produced water has high levels of impurities including salts, metals, silica, and organic compounds. To recycle and reuse produced water it must be treated so it can be recycled through a steam generator. Magnesium Oxide (MgO) systems operate as a portion of the produced water treatment train. The system feeds MgO slurry to a hot or warm lime softener where silica is removed from the produced water. The operation and maintenance of MgO slurry systems pose numerous challenges to facility operators, making the systems unreliable and time consuming to operate. Although many operators experience common challenges they tend to manage them on a plant-by- plant basis. The objective of this work was to collaborate with facility operators to develop common guidelines for the design and operation of MgO dosing systems. These guidelines aim to increase the efficiency and operability of the MgO dosing system.

1:45 – 2:15 PM THE USE OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FOR H2S OXIDATION IN SAGD PRODUCED WATER - CORROSION IMPACT Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Dr. Elena Pisanova, PeroxyChem LLC Hydrogen peroxide is used to eliminate H2S in SAGD produced water. Laboratory tests were carried out to determine the impact of treating H2S with hydrogen peroxide, on the corrosiveness of the produced water on carbon steel. Various levels of sulfide in produced water, and various addition rates relative to sulfide levels, were tested.

2:20 – 2:50 PM APPLICATION OF CERAMIC MEMBRANES IN TREATMENT OF SAGD AND OILY PRODUCED WATER Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Andre Tremblay, Natural Resources Canada, CanmetMINING Natural Resources Canada’s CANMET Laboratories, in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, Environment Canada, and a number of oil sands and membrane companies is involved in developing a treatment process that utilizes ceramic membranes for the deoiling of oil sands produced water (PW) with specific focus on SAGD operations. The process is aimed at treating SAGD PW at high temperature (90 160°C) for recycling as boiler feed water and development methods for membrane modification and fabrication for a membrane that is resistant to fouling and flux decline.



BREAKOUT STREAM: OSPW ACTIVE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES 1:10 – 1:40 PM EFFECT OF OZONATION ON FOULING BEHAVIORS OF MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS FOR THE TREATMENT OF OSPW Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. Yanyan Zhang, University of Alberta Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) have been widely used for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. Our previous studies have disclosed that MBRs were effective in treating oil sands process affected water (OSPW). However, membrane fouling is the major issue of MBR systems since it not only deteriorates the system capacity as well as the effluent quality, but also increases the operation cost. Therefore, the development of antifouling strategy is important for the treatment of OSPW in a large scale. Given it has also been demonstrated the combination of mild ozonation and biodegradation could degrade the naphthenic acids in OSPW more effectively, the effect of ozonation in the membrane fouling behaviors was investigated in this study to explore the contribution of ozonation in membrane antifouling performance. Two identical anoxic aerobic membrane bioreactor systems (MLEMBRs) were used for treating raw and ozonated OSPWs (an ozone dose of 30 mg/L was applied), respectively. The membrane fouling behaviors in two reactors were studied for more than two years under continuous operation conditions. The objective of this study is: 1) to compare the membrane fouling behaviors of two reactors; 2) to investigate the mechanisms of membrane fouling; and 3) to develop the effective antifouling strategy for the treatment of OSPW.

1:45 – 2:15 PM REMEDIATION OF OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER (OSPW) BY INDIGENOUS MICROORGANISMS IN FIXED BED BIOFILM REACTORS Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. Lei Zhang, University of Alberta, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Traditionally, biofiltration, which could combine the advantages of biological processes and physical processes, have been used for water and wastewater treatment due to their robustness, ease and simplicity of construction and low energy input. In this study, fixed bed biofilm reactors (biofilters) with sand and granular activated carbon (GAC) as media were investigated for their effectiveness in the treatment of OSPW. The main objective of this study is: 1) to investigate the effectiveness of fixed bed bioreactors for the treatment of OSPW; 2) to study the development and diversity of indigenous biofilm on different media; and 3) optimize the operation of fixed bed bioreactor to further improve the treatment efficiency.



2:20 – 2:50 PM IRON IMPREGNATED CARBON SUPPORTS FOR FENTON-LIKE DEGRADATION OF NAPHTHENIC ACIDS Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. Nikolaus Klamerth, University of Alberta, Civil & Environmental Engineering The main objective of this study was to investigate the efficiency of several different iron impregnated carbonaceous materials for heterogeneous Fenton reactions on naphthenic acid removal. Additionally several different ways of immobilizing iron and iron oxide on the surface of these supports was investigated. Heterogeneous Fenton reactions are of particular interest and an attractive option as AOPs to degrade recalcitrant compounds. Impregnating Fe, Fe2O3 and FeOOH on carbonaceous materials can substantially reduce sludge formation, costs and increase efficiency. Additionally, magnetic nanomaterials such as Fe3O4 and Fe can be removed from suspension by an external magnetic field, thus avoiding problems associated with poor separation of these materials from the water phase. This research will help in developing cheap and effective ways of treating OSPW so it can be safely released back into the environment. Activated Carbon (AC) impregnated with FeOOH was prepared by a typical impregnation procedure, while Fe2O3 was deposited on AC using a sol gel process. NanoFe0 was precipitated on AC by reducing FeCl3 with NaBH4. Iron mesoporous Carbon (FeCmeso) structured were synthesized via carbonization of composite Fe3O4/Phenol Formaldehyde resin structures.

BREAKOUT STREAM: ATHABASCA WATERSHED MODELING AND MONITORING 1:10 – 1:40 PM DISAMBIGUATION OF SEEPAGE IN ALBERTA OIL SANDS (GW) Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Zvonko Burkus, Alberta Environment & Parks The objectives of this project were to analyze secondary information on seepage from tailings ponds and determine influences of this seepage to groundwater and surface water systems, so that answers to questions of seepage quantity and quality, relationship to soil, groundwater, as well as Athabasca River could be established.



1:45 – 2:15 PM A 900-YEAR PERSPECTIVE ON SURFACE WATER SUPPLIES IN THE ATHABASCA RIVER BASIN Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Dr. David Sauchyn, PARC, University of Regina The objective of this project was to produce a reconstruction of the annual flow of the Athabasca River inferred from the growth rings in moisture sensitive conifers at a network of sites in the upper reaches of the Athabasca River Basin (ARB) and in adjacent watersheds. We compared 900 years of proxy flows to the streamflow variability recorded in recent decades, and identified extended periods of low paleo flow that exceed the worst-case scenario in the instrumental records. We considered 1) the extent to which gauged flows, which are the basis for surface water allocation, fail to capture the full range of hydro-climatic variability and extremes evident in a longer proxy record, and 2) the temporal evolution of low frequency Athabasca River variability, related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Pacific North American mode (PNA), with its consequences on ARB surface water availability.

2:20 – 2:50 PM OIL SANDS MINE WATER SUPPLY RISK MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND DESIGN Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Todd White, Teck and Dejiang Long, Golder Associates Ltd. The lower Athabasca River is the main source of makeup water supply for oil sands mines. The river water demand by an individual mine can be highly variable and is influenced by the mine and tailings management plans, and precipitation runoff collection and water storage availability on site. The cumulative river water demand by the oil sands mining industry is influenced by the timings of production startups and various stages of production increase of the various mines. The lower Athabasca River flow is highly variable from season to season and from year to year. The cumulative river water withdrawal by the oil sands mining industry is currently regulated under the Surface Water Quantity Management Framework for the Lower Athabasca River. River water withdrawal restriction is in effect under a range of flow conditions, particularly during winter low flow conditions. This presentation describes the various water balance models used to support the planning and design of the river water supply systems (including river water intake and off-stream water storage) for the oil sands mines. It describes the large number of factors considered in the water balance modelling and water supply risk evaluation, including variable water demands, historical river flow conditions as characterized by the available flow records and tree-ring data, potential climate change effect, industry water management collaboration, and regulatory compliance requirement.

2:50 – 3:15 PM COFFEE BREAK & POSTER PRESENTATIONS Room: Palomino Foyer



BREAKOUT STREAM: IN SITU WATER TREATMENT 3:20 – 3:50 PM TRUE ZERO LIQUID DISCHARGE TREATMENT OF SAGD WASTEWATERS: ON-SITE PILOT RESULTS AND ECONOMICS Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Malcolm Man, Saltworks Technologies Inc. The objective of the project was to provide SAGD operators with an economic method to minimize wastewater disposal costs and maximize water recycle. The project implemented an onsite pilot of an innovative low temperature crystallizer at an active SAGD facility in the Fort McMurray, Alberta area for 60 days during Jan/Feb 2015. A total of three successful pilot projects were completed. The goal was to produce freshwater suitable for reuse in the SAGD operations and solids disposable at a Class II nonhazardous landfill. The reliable crystallizer system, known as the SaltMaker, utilizes a four effect humidification dehumidification cycle to concentrate the wastewater to produce solids and freshwater. The SaltMaker was designed to operate on scaling and challenging fluids, such as SAGD wastewaters high in total solids, organics, and silica. Moderate grade waste heat (~8090°C) is used to evaporate and condense the wastewater in successive “effects.” The latent heat of condensation is recycled as it’s downgraded four times, resulting in one quarter the energy requirement compared to conventional open to atmosphere evaporators. The SaltMaker also features innovative self-cleaning capabilities, a silica stabilization system for reliable operation on highly scaling waters, and an automated solids extraction system for solids management and dewatering.

3:55 – 4:25 PM MEMBRANES FOR SAGD PRODUCED WATER TREATMENT Room: Palomino Hall A-C

Benham Korshidi, University of Alberta, Department of Mechanical Engineering Membrane separation processes have become one of the fastest growing technologies for desalination and water treatment due to their distinct advantages over traditional processes, primarily lower operating costs, compact design, and high product quality. However, the low thermal stability of many membrane materials and their susceptibility to fouling has limited their introduction into the SAGD water treatment process. To address these limitations, the Advanced Water Research (AWR) lab at the University of Alberta has begun a comprehensive membrane research program aimed at developing thermally tolerant and foulant resistant membrane materials for SAGD water treatment applications. This presentation outlines the research program and highlights some of the recent research results.



BREAKOUT STREAM: TOXICITY OF OSPW 3:20 – 3:50 PM TOXICITY OF RAW AND OZONE TREATED OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATERS USING MAMMALIAN MACROPHAGES Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Dr. James Stafford, University of Alberta Little is known regarding the toxicity of oil sands process affected water (OSPW) and naphthenic acids (NAs) in mammals. Exposure of mouse immune cells to high concentrations of NAs as well as the organic constituents of OSPW (organic fraction; OSPWOF) caused an impairment of their antimicrobial responses and decreased cellular proliferation. Since OSPWOF contains a variety of potentially toxic chemicals (e.g. polyaromatic hydrocarbons; PAHs), it is not known whether the toxic effects of OSPWOF are due solely to NAs or combinations of NAs and other toxic compounds. The objective of this study was to determine what doses of raw OSPW, reconstituted organic fraction (OSPWOF), ozone (O3) treated raw OSPW, and O3 treated reconstituted OSPWOF were acutely toxic to cultured mammalian immune cells. In addition, these waters were tested for potential immunotoxological effects by monitoring various immune cellular responses. The mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) was selected for our in vitro studies as a representative mammalian cell model. Monitoring the OSPW mediated influences on RAW 264.1 cellular viability and/or modulation of their functions represent an important in vitro bioinidicator for assessing the effects of different OSPW sources and associated treatment protocols on their acute toxicity and immunomodulatory properties.

3:55 – 4:25 PM ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE PRIMARY TOXIC COMPONENT IN OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER Room: Palomino Hall D-E

Ashley Maheffey, Coral Waters Consulting, Shell The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the primary toxic component in oil sands process-affected water collected from an active settling basin (raw OSPW) using the Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) approach. Previous studies have linked the primary toxicant in various oil sands process-affected water sources to the organic acid fraction of OSPW (naphthenic acids). However, these earlier studies did not have access to the high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques that are now available to measure and characterize the organic acid component of OSPW. Furthermore, recent studies have identified that other potential constituents may also be significantly contributing to toxicity. Therefore, the primary goal of this research was to determine whether naphthenic acids are indeed the primary toxic component in the water source being tested, and if so, to identify what fraction is responsible for toxicity. Specific treatments were performed on raw OSPW and loss of acute toxicity was assessed by exposing rainbow trout to the different treatments for 96 h. The results indicated that toxicity was primarily associated with the organic fraction. The organics were further separated by polarity using a solvent gradient and the fractions also tested with rainbow trout. The toxic fractions will be submitted for GC/MS analyses to identify



constituents of interest, and will also be subjected to naphthenic acid analyses using Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry. The results of this research will increase our understanding of the link between naphthenic acids and raw OSPW toxicity, as well as help identify any other constituents in raw OSPW that may contribute to toxicity. Clearer understanding of the toxic constituents of concern will aid in developing treatment goals and targets for removal of raw OSPW toxicity in future mine closure landscapes and water return scenarios.

BREAKOUT STREAM: MINE RECLAMATION 3:20 – 3:50 PM FORWARD III: WATERSHED RESEARCH AND MODELLING FOR MINE RECLAMATION Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Dr. Preston McEachern, University of Alberta The Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance Project (FORWARD) is a consortium of university, government, and industry partners with the overarching goal of providing tools for managing boreal forest watersheds. These predictive tools can be used to plan environmentally acceptable disturbance regimes (e.g. forestry, surface oil and gas exploration and extraction), reclamation and, in the most extreme cases, watershed reconstruction following mining. FORWARD III will contribute to the development of soil and watershed assessment tools and appropriate bio-indicators that will support reclamation efforts within oil sands energy and mining sectors. It will also assist in shaping evolving regulatory approaches to reclamation and water management, and support components of progressive reclamation.

3:55 – 4:25 PM HOW TO USE FLOCCULATION TO INCREASE THE WATER QUALITY IN END PIT LAKES Room: Palomino Hall F-H

Arjan Wijdeveld, Deltares/TU Delft End pit lakes face a challenge when it comes to the settling and consolidation of fines. These (mostly cohesive) sediments (clay's) cause a high turbidity in the surface water due to slow settling. The high turbidity hampers the reuse of the water (due to the need for filtering), increases the pollutant emission from the ponds to the river (sediment bound fraction) and hampers the ecological development of the end pit lake (the limited water light climate hampers water plant growth). The settling process is influences by the water quality, especially by the ionic strength (the salinity) and the ratio between mono and divalent ions. The salinity not only impacts the flocculation rate, parts of the salts are also “bound” to the sediment particles (either by clay sorption sites, or by the increased ionic strength in the double layer surrounding the clay particle). The objective is to use water quality differences (especially with regard to salinity) in the lakes and wetlands to enhance flocculation and consolidation of the fines and trap part of the salts into the sediments. The lake therefore helps in desalinization of the surface water, and in decreasing the turbidity.

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2016 COSIA–AI-EES OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS conference/COSIA... · 2017-10-11 · 4 2016 COSIA–AI-EES OIL SANDS WATER CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE