Abstract
The Athabasca Oil Sands of Northeastern Alberta, Canada, are primarily recovered by surface mining operations. These areas are required by regulation to be reclaimed at mine closure. Recent cuts in the proposed borrow areas for cover material have revealed unusual deposits of hydrocarbons at quantities exceeding clean soil guidelines in the surficial materials. This article outlines recent work in characterising the hydrocarbon composition and groundwater leaching potential of this surficial bitumen. Characterisation consisted of field sampling with analysis by standard Canadian chromatographic methods. An initial investigation of contaminant mobility and biodegradability was conducted using a custom unsaturated soil column leaching experiment. Hydrocarbons were found to be primarily above C30. Concentrations greater than C60 were approximately 10 times those below C60. As expected, minimal leaching occurred, suggesting a minimal risk to groundwater. This result provides meaningful evidence that the material can be directly placed for reclamation. This option in turn represents a meaningful saving in terms of cost, effort and energy for the mine operators.
Published Version
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