Value-added Solutions

Introduction

Paraffin froth treatment (PFT) is a relatively new technology, whih can pass over the upgrading process and directly produce a clean final product for the market. The rejected PFT tailings from the tailing solvent recovery unit contains about 75% water, 20% minerals, 5% asphaltenes and maltenes, and <0.1% solvents.

Challenges

Comparing with conventional FFT/MFT, the PFT tailings contain more water and organic contaminants and less solids. This might be more challenging for the tailing reclamation and there might be a lot of unknown gaps over how they influence the legacy tailings if they are directly discharged to the existing tailing ponds.

Solutions

As the PFT tailings include 20% (dry base) heaviest bitumen strongly binding on fine minerals, they could be an excellent feed for warm-mix asphalt concrete or replace fly ash as a filler of stone mastic asphalt in road paving industry. Our Deep Dewatering technologies will be modified to adapt for this high bitumen content slurry dewatering and the dewatered slurry will be further dried with heat to reach the feed requirements.