Wettability study of organic-rich solids separated from Athabasca oil sands

Darcovich, K.; Kotlyar, L.S.; Tse, W. C.; Ripmeester, John A.; Capes, C.E.; Sparks, B.D.

doi:10.1021/ef00015a023

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(8 reference statements)

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“…Various authors subsequently have made important measurements of the surface tension of bitumen 17-22 and the wettability of the sand particles. [23][24][25] *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: painter@matse.psu.edu.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies of Bitumen−Silica and Oil−Silica Interactions in Ionic Liquids

et al. 2010

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Previous work in this laboratory has shown that bitumen and oil can be readily separated from sand, using ionic liquids at ambient temperatures. To probe the mechanism underlying the relative ease of separation, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to study interaction forces and adhesion between bitumen surfaces and a silica probe in the presence of liquid media. The energy of adhesion between bitumen samples obtained from both Canadian and U.S. oil sands are approximately an order of magnitude smaller in an ionic liquid medium than in aqueous solution. This behavior was traced to the ability of ionic liquids to form layered charge structures on surfaces. Although interactions between the silica probe and an aged crude oil sample could not be determined, because the probe adhesion to the oil film exceeded the force capacity of the AFM, thermodynamic considerations indicate that the energy of separation of silica from aged oil is also significantly smaller in an ionic liquid medium than in aqueous solution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies of Bitumen−Silica and Oil−Silica Interactions in Ionic Liquids

et al. 2010

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“…[1] The Athabasca Oil Sands are one of the four oil sand deposits in Northern Alberta, Canada, with an estimated 1.7 trillion barrels of bitumen. [2] The lower Athabasca River Basin deposit is by far the largest in North America and covers an area of 42,000 km 2 in the vicinity of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Characterization and Distribution of Inorganic Chemicals in Tributary Waters of the Lower Athabasca River, Oilsands Region, Canada

Headley¹,

Crosley²,

Conly³

et al. 2005

Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A

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Brazilian off-season maize production is characterized by low yield due to several factors, such as climate variability and inadequate management practices, specifically weed management. Thus, the goal of this study was to determinate the critical period of weed competition in off-season maize (Zea mays L.) crop using thermal units or growing degree days (GDD) approach to characterize crop growth and development. The study was carried out in experimental area of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, with weed control (C), as well as seven coexistence periods, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 leaves, flowering, and all crop cycle; fourteen treatments were done. Climate data were obtained from a weather station located close to the experimental area. To determine the critical period for weed control (CPWC) logistic models were fitted to yield data obtained in both W and C, as a function of GDD. For an arbitrary maximum yield loss fixed in 2.5%, the CPWC was found between 301 and 484 GDD (7-8 leaves). Also, when the arbitrary loss yield was fixed in 5 and 10%, the period before interference (PBI) was higher than the critical weed-free period (CWFP), suggesting that the weeds control can be done with only one application, between 144 and 410 GDD and 131 and 444 GDD (3-8 leaves), respectively. The GDD approach to characterize crop growth and development was successfully used to determine the critical period of weeds control in maize sown off-season. Further works will be necessary to better characterize the interaction and complexity of maize sown off-season with weeds. However, these results are encouraging because the possibility of the results to be extrapolated and because the potential of the method on providing important results to researchers, specifically crop modelers.

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“…When the amount of organic is low the solids are predominantly associated with the aqueous phase, intermediate amounts of surface organics produce biwettable characteristics where solids preferentially collect at interfaces, ultimately the highest organic levels result in a fraction that remains exclusively with the bitumen phase (Kotlyar et al, 1988). A wettability study (Darcovich et al, 1989) confirmed that the aqueous ultrafines were indeed more polar and less hydrophobic than the ultrafines associated with bitumen. Surface analysis (Bensebaa et al, 2000) indicated patchy surface coverage by both humic and asphaltic components.…”

Section: Nature Of Ultrafinesmentioning

confidence: 95%