OSRIN Technical Reports

2013-02-15

Vinge, T., Pyper, M.

In a short period of time, the conversation around handling woody materials – deadwood such as logs, branches and stumps – has shifted dramatically. From piling and burning, to mulching and now towards keeping ‘whole logs’ on sites. The changes have led to confusion and this guide is intended to...

2011-02-01

Schneider, T.

Recent reports from environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) such as the Pembina Institute and the Environmental Law Centre in Canada, as well as investor groups such as Ceres and The Ethical Funds Company, have addressed the growing concern over environmental liabilities related to...

2014-11-21

Fraser, E., Marenholtz, E., Sobze, J-M., Schoonmaker, A., Mckenzie, M., Smreciu, A., Powter, C.B.

The purpose of this document is to review traditional and alternative systems of seed and nursery stock treatment and delivery for use in oil sands reclamation. Treatment systems are considered those activities conducted prior to delivery to the field site while delivery systems include those...

2014-12-22

Eaton, B.R., Fisher, J.T., McKenna, G.T., Pollard, J.

Oil sands companies are required to reclaim the land that has been disturbed during their operations to self-sustaining, locally common boreal forest. An important facet of the reclaimed landscape is support of locally-relevant wildlife communities. Wildlife communities are an important part of...

2014-12-04

Currie, R., Mian, H., Bansal, S., Khan, I.

The purpose of this report is to use a design of experiment (DOE) approach to examine the main factors affecting the determination of methylene blue index (MBI) values for oil sands samples. The methylene blue titration of clays has become a principle tool to assess extraction efficiency of oil...

2013-05-27

Howlett, M., Craft, J.

This report examines the Government of Canada’s legislation that may impact oil sands environmental management in Alberta. It focuses on the evolution, and current state of, pertinent federal legislative Acts in the environmental, natural resource, and energy policy sectors. As detailed below,...

2014-10-01

Liu, Y., Jiang, Y.

The extraction process used to obtain bitumen from the oil sands produces large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). As a newly emerging desalination technology, forward osmosis (FO) has shown great promise in saving electrical power requirements, increasing water recovery, and...

2014-06-11

Taheriazad, L., Portillo-Quintero, C., Sanchez-Azofeifa, G.A.

Monitoring of environmental conditions in and around oil sands developments has been underway for years. However, recent reviews have indicated the need for a more comprehensive, scientifically-rigourous and transparent monitoring program and have provided recommendations for design and...

2012-11-08

Thibault, B.

Alberta’s Mine Financial Security Program (MFSP) establishes the procedures for determining and administering financial security for reclamation of oil sands and coal mining operations. The program establishes more transparent and consistent methods for determining the financial security amount...

2012-08-23

Sandilya, A.C., Dixon, R.J., Kenney, J.

The Audit Protocol for the Mine Financial Security Program was commissioned to provide a framework to assist government or third-party auditors of Annual Reports under Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development’s Mine Financial Security Program (MFSP). The Audit Protocol seeks to...