Polymer Aids for Settling and Filtration of Oil Sands Tailings

• Author / Creator

  Wang, Xiaoyan

• Commercial Magnafloc 1011and in-house synthesized Al-PAM were used as flocculants for model tailings, laboratory extraction tailings and tailings from paraffin froth treatment unit. The polymers were tested for their flocculation ability in settling and filtration.
  For model tailings, both polymers showed excellent ability to improve the settling and filtration performance. Magnafloc 1011 is found sensitive to overdosing, but Al-PAM is not sensitive to the dosage within the tested range.
  For the laboratory extraction tailings, both polymers showed excellent ability to enhance settling. Al-PAM performed very well as a filtration aid. The moisture of the cake obtained from tailings derived from a low fines ore was 6.6 ± 1.2wt% and that from a high fines ore was 16.9 ± 0.8wt%. However, Magnafloc 1011 was found not effective as a filtration aid.
  For the froth treatment tailings, Al-PAM improved the settling and filterability dramatically. Although the moisture of the cake obtained was 42.5wt%, no free water is seen visually in the cake. The solid cake is self-supportive and remains intact.
  This class of Al-PAM polymers can provide an alternative approach for oil sands tailings disposal that can potentially eliminate tailings ponds.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Tailings
  • filtration
  • settling
  • polymer
  • flocculation
  • Al-PAM

• Graduation date

  Spring 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R39C8G

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.