Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019).

Chemiqa is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of specialty chemicals and flotation technology to thex000D
mining and mineral processing industries. The objective of this project is to develop bioreagents for mineralx000D
processing with a focus on flocculants. The bioflocculants will be targeted for use on fluid fine tailings (FFT)x000D
derived from oil-sands, coal, copper, nickel and phosphate processing operations. FFT is a mixture of wastex000D
products containing mostly fine mineral solids and water which are difficult to separate. At present, there is ax000D
large volume of FFT stored in tailings ponds in Canada, which represents a huge liability for miningx000D
companies. One strategy to enhance FFT dewatering is by flocculation. Flocculation uses molecules to formx000D
bridges between particles, leading to the formation of particle aggregates, or flocs, which settle more quicklyx000D
than individual fine particles. The most commonly used flocculants are synthetic organic polymers. Whilex000D
these reagents may not be inherently toxic, there are concerns about the toxicity and non-renewable origins ofx000D
the petroleum-based precursors used to make these types of flocculants. Further, known synthetic organicx000D
polymers are not always effective in FFT applications and the reagent cost can be very high. It is known thatx000D
microorganisms produce natural polymers, including polysaccharides and proteins, that aid in the aggregationx000D
of organic material and cells. Bioflocculants are environmentally-friendly, biodegradable and renewable. Thex000D
development of an effective, inexpensive and environmentally-benign bioreagent to dewater FFT will bex000D
profitable for Chemiqa, and help solve one of the greatest challenges facing the mining industry today.