Desorption and migration of dissolved organics from oil sands tailings to capped water: Demonstration pit lake

Abstract

Rate and mechanism of organic compounds desorption from fluid fine tailings (FFT) deposits into the capped water are crucial to understand the geochemical stability of end pit lakes. Specifically, the intricate interplay between electrolyte concentrations and seasonal fluctuations along with their impact on the persistence of organic constituents remains insufficiently elucidated. This study utilized PASS-treated FFT (i.e., permanent aquatic structure storage) from Lake Miwasin to address these questions. Experiments were conducted to investigate the desorption of organics from FFT into lake water under different conditions, including FFT dosage, contact time, temperature, and ionic strength. Results revealed that higher FFT dosage and lake water organic matter led to increased desorption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), while temperature and conductivity of the lake water had minimal effects. The presence of electrolytes regulated the equilibrium desorption capacity of DOC, with cations (K+ and Ca2+) significantly affecting the desorption process from negatively charged treated FFT particles. Temkin isotherms displayed that desorption dynamics followed physically favorable patterns whereas the Intraparticle diffusion kinetic model suggested the equilibrium desorption capacity of DOC as 0.65 mg/g of PASS-treated FFT. A small percentage (5.82 %) of the DOC and less than half of naphthenic acids (NAs) (39.1 %) in PASS-treated FFT were potentially released. The distribution coefficient value of DOC and NAs was comparably high, indicating that DOC and NAs were mostly stable within the PASS-treated FFT deposition. The study reflects considerable stability of PASS-treated FFT about the physical and chemical conditions of the lake water, making them a promising alternative in FFT management.