Method developed by U of A engineering researchers removes one of the main toxins in water used for bitumen extraction.
New technology developed by engineers at the University of Alberta shows potential in cleaning and decontaminating process water from oilsands production.
The process relies on ozonation and biofilters to remove organic compounds from contaminated water.
The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, demonstrates that the method, previously used to clean pharmaceutical waste water, efficiently removes naphthenic acids, considered to be one of the main toxic constituents of oilsands process water.
The method also helps speed up a process that would otherwise take decades for nature to complete, explained Mohamed Gamal El-Din, a professor who specializes in waste water remediation and led the new study.
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