How liquid salt could be the answer to oilsands tailings ponds | CBC News
Hot water is used in oilsands mining operations to extract the
oily bitumen from the sand, with the resulting wastewater ending
up in tailings ponds to settle and later be reused. Alberta has an
estimated 1.3 trillion litres of fluid tailings sitting in tailings
ponds.
oily bitumen from the sand, with the resulting wastewater ending
up in tailings ponds to settle and later be reused. Alberta has an
estimated 1.3 trillion litres of fluid tailings sitting in tailings
ponds.
Paula Berton and Steven Bryant, believe ionic liquids, or liquid salt, offer a possible solution.
By
using ionic liquids instead of water in the extraction process, the
researchers say they can eliminate the production of watery tailings,
while the ionic liquids can be recycled. They anticipate the leftover
sand can be returned to the ground.
The ionic liquids and the resulting sand are not toxic, they say.