Recreating Ecosites After Mining in the Oil Sands at Syncrude Canada: A Work in Progress!
Eric Girard P.Ag. Syncrude Canada Ltd. Agenda
Min pit landforming
Functioning diverse ecosystems FROM
2 www.syncrude.ca
. 1964: Syncrude incorporated
-beginning of our research culture
. 1978: Production begins
. Fort McMurray based company
. One of the largest oil producer in the Athabasca oil sands region
. ~350,000 barrels of light crude oil / day
. Hire ~4,500 people directly and 3,500-4,000 contractors, many more indirect jobs across Canada. Oil Sands Mining 101
Surge pile/ Open Pit Conveyor Belt Mine 7% to 14% Bitumen
Bitumen Extraction Hydro transport PSV
Sand + water
Oil sands = sand particle coated with water layer and bitumen + Clay Oil Sands Mining 101
Natural gas Water = 85% recycled light gas
Boilers Bitumen Extraction PSV Power Upgrader Sand plant + water Mine, buildings, Water = 0.2% Grid av. An. flow etc Athabasca River
Tailings Steam Hot water Light Sweet Oil Sands Mining 101 Crude oil (SSB)
Coke
Bitumen SERP & FGD Extraction PSV
Upgrader
Sand+ clay + water + residual Sulfur bitumen + salt
Ammonium sulphate Sold fertilizer + blend Closure
. Progressive reclamation
. Equivalent capability
. Integrated with the surrounding area (land forming)
. Boreal forest upland and lowland communities
. Yields water suitable for return to the natural environment.
7 How do we get there? . Planning: . Mining & landform . Closure design GIS Agriculture . Execution
Wildlife Civil/Geotechnical Soil Science & Biodiversity Engineering
Revegetation Biology Wetlands Plan Plans Chemistry
Tree Clearing & Soil Placement Landform Timber Salvage Plan Design
Soil Ecology Hydrology Conservation Hydrology Modeling & Management
Hydrogeology Tailings Plan Dewatering Modeling
Forestry Reclamation Hydro-geology Overburden Salvage Plan Plan
Reclamation Lease Stockpile Ore Plan Integration Mining Plan Environmental Engineering Sciences Aboriginal consultations …a conceptual design…
…then details Once plans are approved…tree clearing can start . Tree clearing with the end result in mind: 1. Remove commercial timber 2. Rough mulching
. Leave large woody debris (4 to 8 feet long)
Reduce risk of unbalanced C/N ratio
. Sometimes larger woody debris is used to create microsites. … Soil salvage
. Soil is tested at a 100m spacing pre-salvage to establish a salvage plan.
. Salvage soils before mine advance.
. 3 types of reclamation material: . Peat . Upland Forest Floor (LFH) . Subsoil (based on quality)
11 Soil salvage
Cover soil Stockpiling not Direct placement recommended Winter
15 LFH cm
Sub-soil Peat
Overburden
Oil sand Peat
Cover soil Stockpile Direct placement Winter
Sub-soil Peat
Overburden
Oil sand Sub-soil
Stockpile
Sub-soil placement
Sub-soil
Overburden
Oil sand Overburden
Cover soil 30 cm Sub-soil 70 cm
Cover soil 30 cm WaterSub-soil 20 cm FFT / CT Overburden
TailingsOil sands sand
Limestone Revegetation: Natural inputs . Use of natural soil (LFH-peat) and subsoil. . Winter direct placement (dormant plants). . Micro sites formation: woody debris & rough placement. . Avoid disturbances, weed, or aggressive spp. LFH 3 Months . Target canopy closure. . Proximity to natural forests with wildlife access . Work in progress to increase plant ingress. Rough placement + WD
Peat 3 Months Revegetation: planting /seeding
. Collect native and local seed or cuttings . Follow Alberta standards (FGRM) . Challenges for some species
. 7 species of trees White and Black Spruce, Trembling Aspen, Balsam Polar, Paper Birch, Jackpine, Tamarack. (Balsam Fir: limited seed supplies)
. and over 21 species of native upland shrubs (Dogwood, pin cherry, raspberry, blueberry, Willows, Buffaloberry, Alders, Saskatoon, Low bush cranberry, Dwarf birch, …
. Forbs: Rat root, Lily, sedges, grass, cattail… Revegetation: Planting . Planting/seeding as early as possible . Variable density (no pattern) . Multiple species per block . Planters required to plant species adapted to various microsites . Specialized planting for Bioengineering . Variety of ecosites Revegetation: Wetlands
. Essential part of our closure design and commitment . Various substrates: . Large tailings pond (base Mine lake) . Centrifuged cake . Soft tails (legacy material- CT or FFT) . Higher salt content
. Difficult to plan for due to lack of modeling accuracy . Fast to established on their own but slow to develop to Fen/Bog Sandhill Wetland Research Watershed
57 ha watershed: 50m deep soft tails with 2 to 5 m of sand: • Hydrogeologic Investigations of Watershed and Perched Water • Carbon Balance of the Constructed Fen
• Early development of Sandhill Fen: Plant establishment, community stabilization and ecosystem development • Forest reconstruction on upland sites in the Fen Watershed Revegetation: Maintenance . Fill planting (late succession SPP, grass, mortality) . Erosion control . Pest and weed MGT
Common Tansy Leafy Spurge Canada Thistle Scentless Spruce budworm Chamomile Revegetation: Monitoring for success
. Collect data on soil development, hydrology, vegetation and wildlife for each reclamation units (aspect, slope position, soil type, substrate): . biodiversity, . Resiliency . Sustainability . Commercial forests (regen survey) Reclamation achievement . 37 years of reclamation . 8.5+ millions seedling planted . ~5,000ha reclaimed . 104 ha certified - Gateway hill . Met equivalent capability and approved plans . Heard of 300 bison grazing on reclaimed land Path Forward
. Keep doing progressive reclamation
. Develop a good Closure & Reclamation Strategy & Plan
. Meet challenges with good science and collaboration with Regulators, first nations and other stakeholders THANK YOU!
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