Surfactants: Surfactants in Athabasca Oil Sands Slurry Conditioning, Flotation Recovery, and Tailings Processes

摘要: In the surface processing of oil sands, and interfacial phenomena involving surfactants are involved in occurrence properties suspensions, emulsions, foams several kinds. The actions natural originating bitumen, underlying physical chemical basis for separation process, reviewed context individual process steps. Issues arising from these tailings basins also discussed. Introduction Slurry conditioning sand subsequent flotation recovery separated bitumen comprise what is known as hot water Canada's Athabasca a large-scale commercial application mined sands technology. As will be seen, composed numerous inter-linked elementary steps many which rich surfactant chemistry. We review aspects science this process. But first, few words on their early exploitation. Oil unconsolidated sandstone deposits containing very heavy crude termed bitumen. Bitumen chemically similar to conventional but has greater density (a lower API gravity) much viscosity. Deposits present locations around world they appear respects, occurring along rim major sedimentary basins, mainly either fluviatile or deltaic environments high porosity permeability.