Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2019-2020).

Current approaches for tailings treatment, such as evaporation, freeze-thaw, polymer amendment, andx000D
centrifugation are high cost alternatives due to large areas required, time needed for drying and limitations withx000D
deposit depth. This project, led by three applied research centres at the Northern Alberta Institute ofx000D
Technology (NAIT) in collaboration with Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) and the Institutex000D
for Oil Sands Innovation (IOSI), aims to demonstrate a novel approach to simultaneously dewater, consolidatex000D
and remediate mature fine tailings (MFT) by (1) growing native boreal plant species that effectively germinatex000D
and/or establish and dewater MFT, and (2) enhancing native plant establishment by augmenting MFT withx000D
known consortia of indigenous bacteria with proven potential to promote plant growth, enhance nutrientx000D
cycling and degrade toxic hydrocarbon compounds. The study aims to overcome current barriers by usingx000D
native woody and herbaceous boreal species with high evapotranspiration rates and proven potential tox000D
germinate and establish on MFT. Bacterial cultures capable of degrading specific organic compounds such asx000D
naphtha, and fix nitrogen to ammonium, will be isolated and enriched from MFT sources. The MFT will bex000D
inoculated with the bacterial cultures using biocompatible carriers. The selected boreal species will then bex000D
germinated and/or established on the inoculated MFT bioaugmenting indigenous bacteria, providing highx000D
remediation potential to the rhizosphere, where root exudates will further enhance their activity. The outcomex000D
will be a hospitable environment for plant growth and restoration of nutrient cycling pathways in the tailings.x000D
The project will benefit the oil sands operators with an environmentally and economically viable approach tox000D
simultaneously stabilize and remediate tailings, thereby transforming tailing into a soil system capable ofx000D
sustaining reclamation and reforestation efforts, and facilitating mine closure plans.