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Skip to Search Results- 1Brown, Nicholas
- 1Collins, Catherine
- 1Collins, Catherine Elizabeth Victoria
- 1Franklin, James
- 1Frederick, Kurt R.
- 1Howell, Daniel Mark
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Biodegradation of Hydrocarbons in Bitumen: Exploring Plant-Assisted and Microbial Stimulation Techniques
DownloadFall 2020
While bitumen is one of the oldest construction materials in the world and currently provides an important fuel needed to sustain our modern lifestyle, the disturbances caused by extracting and refining this material are considerable, with 895 km2 of land being disturbed in Alberta as of 2018...
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Exploring how soil fungi can be used to restore native trees on reclaimed substrates containing petroleum hydrocarbons
DownloadSpring 2023
As part of reclaiming landscapes mined for bitumen, ecosystems must be revegetated to restore self-sustaining ecosystems in the boreal forest of western Canada. Current reclamation practices can involve the construction of large landforms, sometimes from overburden containing up to 8%...
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Spring 2022
Coal is mined for energy generation around the world, resulting in extensive disturbances to soil health and vegetation, and producing large amounts of waste. Heavy metals enter the environment through coal industry activities before being transmitted to the food chain. Reclaiming post mining...
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Influence of Amendments and Soil Depth on Available Nutrients and Microbial Dynamics in Contrasting Topsoil Materials Used for Oil Sands Reclamation
DownloadFall 2015
As of December 2013, the cumulative area disturbed by oil sands mining in NE Alberta was 896 km2 out of an estimated final footprint of 4,800 km2 – all of which will require reclamation. Expensive handling costs and scarce soil resources necessitate judicious management and application of...
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Long Term Dynamics And Potential Remediation Of Fine Textured Soils And Ground Water Contaminated With Chlorinated Organic Compounds And Salts
DownloadFall 2019
Contamination of land, water, and air is a widespread concern often associated with anthropogenic activities. Remediation of contaminated sites is necessary to minimize negative impacts on human health and the environment and allow for safe, productive use of land. Although contaminated sites...
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Methane Production and Emission Mitigation in Oil Sands Tailings Concurrent with Hydrocarbon Degradation under Nitrogen Limited Conditions
DownloadFall 2020
Alberta’s oil sands generate large volumes of tailings from bitumen ore processing. These tailings ponds produce biogenic methane, which can be measured across 60-80% of the tailings surface. Based on current surface area data and emissions studies, tailings ponds could account for 8% of Canada’s...
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Fall 2013
Collins, Catherine Elizabeth Victoria
Surface mining for bitumen extraction results in production of tailings that are deposited into large ponds. Tailings in the ponds support diverse microbial communities capable of metabolizing organic compounds and producing biogenic gases (methane, CH4 and carbon dioxide, CO2). Because of low...
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Spring 2013
A major barrier to reclamation after oil sands mining is lack of commercially available, diverse native plant seeds and propagules for revegetation. Potential of LFH (forest floor material) developed on coarse textured soil for establishing native plants and how salvage, placement and storage...
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Fall 2020
Oil sands mining is a significant disturbance in the Canadian boreal forest. One objective for reclamation after mining is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem, which includes establishing a native plant community. For this thesis, study one evaluates the different plant assembly mechanisms,...
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Productivity and carbon accumulation potential of transferred biofilms in reclaimed oil sands-affected wetlands
DownloadSpring 2011
Biofilms are significant contributors to primary production, nutrient cycling, bio-stabilization and the food web of wetland ecosystems. Photoautotrophic biomass (PB) and primary production (PP) were determined for biofilms exposed to various treatments and materials in wetlands near Fort...