2018 Water Research Report PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2019 INTRODUCTION
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COSIA WATER EPA 2018 Water Research Report PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2019 INTRODUCTION This report summarizes progress for projects related to improving the use and management of water by the Mining Group of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) Water Environmental Priority Area (EPA). Projects included cover the period from 2012 to 2018. Please contact the Industry Champion identified for each research project if any additional information is needed. The COSIA Water EPA Mining Group participants during the period of this report were: Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Shell Canada Energy*, Suncor Energy Inc., Syncrude Canada Ltd., Teck Resources Limited and Total E&P Canada Ltd. *In 2017, Canadian Natural Resources Limited purchased Shell Canada Energy’s Albian Sands operation. All COSIA Water EPA projects previously supported by Shell Canada Energy were transferred to Canadian Natural Resources Limited. Permission for non-commercial use, publication or presentation of excerpts or figures is granted, provided appropriate attribution (as above) is cited. Commercial reproduction, in whole or in part, is not permitted. The use of these materials by the end user is done without any affiliation with or endorsement by any COSIA member. Reliance upon the end user’s use of these materials is at the sole risk of the end user. This report is funded by: • Canadian Natural Resources Limited • Imperial Oil Resources Limited • Suncor Energy Inc. • Syncrude Canada Ltd. • Teck Resources Limited November 2019 Front cover image courtesy of Cenovus Energy Inc. COSIA WATER EPA – 2018 WATER RESEARCH REPORT i INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................i BEST PRACTICES .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Standardize Measurement and Quantification Techniques ...................................................................................... 2 Overburden Dewatering Effectiveness Study ............................................................................................................ 4 Mining Best Practices Report for Alternate Water Sourcing and Salinity Management ..........................................7 MINE WATER RETURN ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Salt Load Model .......................................................................................................................................................10 River Ecosystem Health Assessment Using Pilot Facility .........................................................................................13 Regional Substance Loading Allocation Study ......................................................................................................... 16 NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC INPUTS TO THE ATHABASCA WATERSHED ........................19 Impacts of Atmospheric Dust Deposition on the Speciation of Trace Elements in Snowmelt and Peatland Surface Waters ......................................................................................................................................... 20 Water Quality in the Lower Athabasca River ...........................................................................................................24 Current Knowledge of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) Seepage from Tailings Ponds and its Environmental Influence in Northeastern Alberta ...................................................................................... 28 Natural vs. Anthropogenic Inputs: Water Quality in the Lower Athabasca River ................................................... 32 OIL SANDS PROCESS-AFFECTED WATER CHEMISTRY AND TOXICITY ..........................................36 Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) Typology .............................................................................................. 37 Toxicity of Ozone-Treated and Untreated Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) ...........................................39 Literature Review and Evaluation of Dissolved Chloride for Treated Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) Return .............................................................................................................................................. 43 Investigations of the Bioaccumulation Potential of Dissolved Organics in Oil Sands Process- Affected Water (OSPW): A Review .......................................................................................................................... 46 Vanadium Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms Representative of the Athabasca Oil Sands Region ...............................48 The Base Mine Lake Toxicity Identification and Evaluation Study ..........................................................................50 Development of a Passive Sampler-Based Framework for Derivation of Water Quality Benchmarks for Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) .................................................................................. 53 Analytical and Toxicological Evaluation of Bioavailable Naphthenic Acids from Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) and Groundwater Using Biomimetic Extraction - Solid Phase Microextraction .....56 Development of Microbial Fuel Cell Biosensor for Detection of Naphthenic Acids ................................................60 COSIA WATER EPA – 2018 WATER RESEARCH REPORT ii PIT LAKES ................................................................................................................................................................63 Suncor Lake Miwasin (Formerly PASS Demonstration Pit Lake) .............................................................................64 Base Mine Lake Monitoring and Research Program ...............................................................................................66 REGIONAL WATER PROJECTS .........................................................................................................................83 Regional Water Management Initiative ...................................................................................................................84 Athabasca River Watershed Project ........................................................................................................................87 WATER TREATMENT ..........................................................................................................................................89 Organics treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) .........................................................................90 Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment – Second Term ...................................................93 Calcium Naphthenate ............................................................................................................................................104 Calcite Treatment .................................................................................................................................................. 107 Technology Scanning Evaluation ........................................................................................................................... 111 Selenium Treatment .............................................................................................................................................. 116 Sludge Treatment .................................................................................................................................................. 124 Other Treatments ..................................................................................................................................................129 Wetland Treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) ......................................................................133 H2nanO Treatment of Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) ........................................................................ 137 Demonstration-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System for Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) ....143 Constructed Wetland Treatment System: Summary ............................................................................................. 145 Biotechnology Opportunities in the Oil Sands - Literature Study ......................................................................... 147 COSIA WATER EPA – 2018 WATER RESEARCH REPORT iii BEST PRACTICES COSIA WATER EPA – 2018 WATER RESEARCH REPORT 1 Standardize Measurement and Quantification Techniques COSIA Project Number: WE0027 COSIA GAP/Opportunity Area: Best Practices Industry Champion: Canadian Natural Resources Limited Industry Collaborators: Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Suncor Energy Inc., Syncrude Canada Ltd., Teck Resources Limited Status: Year 4 of 5 PROJECT SUMMARY The Mining Best Practices Group was formed in 2016 and is attended by a set of representatives from the COSIA mining group. The group brings together oil sands operators to share information on their water practices and technologies and to accelerate the dissemination of this knowledge and information. Specifically, the group provides a forum for companies to identify operating issues; share lessons learned; determine common problem areas; develop best practices for each problem area; and create documents