BIOCHEMICAL TREATMENT OF BITUMEN FROTH TAILINGS

• Main Authors: DUYVESTEYN, WILLEM P. C, BUDDEN, JULIA R, HULS, BERNARDUS J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 25.05.2000
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

A process for the biological treatment of bitumen froth tailings produced fr om a tar sands treatment and bitumen froth extraction process is disclosed. In this process bitumen froth tailings, containing native hydrocarbon metabolizing microorganisms, are mixed with a growth media to form an inocul um which is then incubated under isothermal conditions for an amount of time to produce a mixed bacterial culture containing bioliquor and a water product containing a reduced amount of asphaltenes as well as solids such as clays a nd sands. The bioliquor produced in this process is then utilized in the initia l tar sands conditioning process from which bitumen froth is produced as well as in the initial tar sands mining process via bioliquor injection directly int o the tar sands formation. Because the mixed bacterial culture is made up of a number of hydrocarbon metabolizing microorganisms, the bioliquor is also use d in the degradation of the asphaltenes. The treatment results in a process fo r decreasing the amount of waste produced in bitumen extraction processes. Furthermore, because the invention utilizes a biosurfactant containing bioliquor in the initial tar sands conditioning process, bitumen froth can b e produced at lower temperatures and without requiring the use of caustic soda , as is conventionally practiced. Thus, the present invention advantageously avoids the production of tailings sludges caused by clay dispersion.