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Sustainability
Water
Current Water Quality Challenges in the Oil Sands Region
Naphthenic acids are naturally found in crude oils, including oil sands bitumen. As part of its preparation for extraction, ore is mixed with water and caustic soda which causes the naphthenic acids to leach into the water. Once released into the tailings pond, naphthenic acids reside within the process affected water.
Naphthenic acids have been shown to be toxic to fish and certain other aquatic and terrestrial organisms.
Currently, it is estimated that tailings pond water contains over 40 parts per million weight (ppmw) naphthenic acids, which is at toxic concentrations for aquatic life. Industry wide, it is estimated that tailings ponds contain 1.4 billion cubic meters of fluid tailings and therefore 560,000 tonnes of naphthenic acids in tailings. About one third of this amount comes from froth treatment tailings.
How Can CVW™ Reduce Naphthenic Acids in Oil Sands Tailings Ponds
CVW CleanTech avoids leaching of naphthenic acids into tailings ponds waters by recovering over 85% of the bitumen contained in froth treatment tailings.
CVW™ can prevent 1,200 tonnes per year of naphthenic acids from pond deposition industry wide, representing a reduction of up to 33%
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Mikisew Cree First Nation, and environmental groups asked Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to examine whether naphthenic acids should be classified as toxic. It was later announced that the government agreed to this review and that naphthenic acids will be added to a plan prioritizing which substances should be assessed under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
A CVW™ implementation can support the oil sands mining operators’ compliance with these and other environmental regulations
Water Usage and Savings Through CVW™
Alberta relies on snowpack and precipitation for its water. Much of this water is drawn from surface sources – lakes and rivers – and ground water to supply provincial consumptive needs. Consumed water is water that is taken and not returned to the environment. According to the Alberta Flow Estimation Tool for Ungauged Watersheds, approximately 95% of consumptive water is sourced from surface water and about 20% of surface water is licensed for industrial use.
With industry-wide implementation, CVW™ can avoid water use of almost 17 million cubic meters per year, representing about 2.5% of current consumptive draw from the Athabasca River.
The Fort Chipewyan Working Group, a consortium of three Indigenous nations, the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the Province of Alberta, and the Government of Canada, has been established to provide a forum following the tailings pond seepage at the Kearl oil sands mine.
The mandate of the group is to ensure Indigenous perspectives are reflected in environmental monitoring and drinking water testing.
After years of higher temperatures and low precipitation, especially experienced over the last few winters, Alberta is regularly concerned about the potential for drought. The province has a five-stage water shortage management plan and is often elevated to stage four which calls for active potential management and conservation efforts. Alberta has also issued bulletins to encourage industry to proactively conserve water in 2024, and low flow water shortage advisories have been issued throughout the province with several in the Athabasca River basin.
The Athabasca River serves as the source of raw water serving the oil sands industry, including mining and extraction operations. Licensed consumptive use from the Athabasca River totals about 693 million cubic meters annually. Of this, about 92% is used by the oil and gas industry, largely the oil sands operators. According to the Alberta Energy Regulator published water use performance, these operators consume water at a 10 year average intensity of 2.47 cubic meters of water per cubic meter of oil equivalents produced.
The process affected water is currently stored in vast tailings ponds with no practical pathway to return this water to the environment.
By recovering hydrocarbons, and through the use of a highly efficient thickener, CVW™ is able to avoid the use of tailings ponds for froth treatment tailings by delivering ready-to-reclaim solid depositions. CVW™ can provide cleaner water, some of which may enable oil sands hosts to reduce fresh water draw from the Athabasca River.