PROCESS TO RECOVER BITUMEN FROM MINERAL SLIMES RESULTING FROM TAR SANDS PROCESSING

摘要

ABSTRACTThe present invention is an improved method for recoveringbitumen from a waste sludge containing bitumen, mineral and water. Thesludge is obtained from a retention pond used to store tailings from waterextraction of bitumen from tar sands and is converted to a froth from whichthe bitumen is recovered. The improved method involves the combined stepsof conditioning the sludge to reduce viscosity by (a) removing carbondioxide and methane from the sludge and (b) further reducing the viscosityof the sludge with an additive, subjecting the thus conditioned sludge toair flotation in a flotation cell, deaerating the froth thus obtained andrecovering the bitumen.