Fine Tailings Dewatering

 

Introduction

 

Canada has rich energy resources and mineral resources. For example, Alberta's oil sands has the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world and Canada is the world’s largest producer and exporter of potash. Although all mining industries produce fine tailings, fluid fine tailings (FFT)  or mature fine tailings (MFT) in the oil sand industry have attracted the most significant attention. The accumulated FFT has reached around 1400 million cubic meters by 2020. COSIA member companies have spent 1.5 billions of dollars in research to seek solutions to reclaim the FFT /MFT in the past decades, however, most solutions were either failed to eliminate the tailing ponds or not affordable for commercialization. Potash mining companies and metal mining companies have similar fine tailings decontamination problems and water reuse problems.