Engineered bacteria for treating mature fine tailings generated from bitumen mining processes**********

用于处理沥青开采过程中产生的成熟细尾矿的工程细菌************

• 批准号: 533101-2018
• 负责人: Unsworth, Larry
• 金额: $ 3.59万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=667386
• 关键词: Engineered; bacteria; treating; mature; fine

Currently the production of tailings is an unavoidable consequence of the bitumen mining process used in the**Canadian oil sands industry. Current treatment strategies are unable to cause rapid settling or the effective**dewatering of mature fine tailings. Moreover, the widespread deployment of current flocculation strategies is**both costly and has the potential to negatively impact the environment. As greater quantities of tailings are**produced the need for a complete, environmentally-friendly and economically viable treatment becomes more**urgent. It is proposed herein, that bacteria - already native to tailings ponds - will be engineered to actively**cause settling and dewatering of tailings. By engineering these bacteria surfaces to mimic the properties of**conventional polymers, already shown to be useful in tailings treatment, it is expected that these self-replicating**bacteria will provide both an environmentally safe and significantly cheaper alternative to polymer flocculants.**Moreover, as engineered bacteria will settle along with suspended solids and naturally dewater upon death, it is**expected that a more compact mature fine tailings will be formed. Finally, safety through genetic engineering**has been considered using best practice principles to ensure no environmental harm occurs through the use of**these bacteria.****

目前，尾矿的产生是 ** 加拿大油砂工业中使用的沥青开采过程的不可避免的后果。目前的处理策略不能使成熟细粒尾矿快速沉降或有效脱水。此外，目前絮凝策略的广泛部署既昂贵又有可能对环境产生负面影响。随着产生的尾矿数量越来越多，对一种完整的、环境友好的和经济上可行的处理方法的需求变得更加迫切。本文提出，细菌-已经原生于尾矿池-将被工程化以主动地引起尾矿的沉降和脱水。通过设计这些细菌表面以模拟传统聚合物的特性，已经证明在尾矿处理中是有用的，预计这些自我复制的细菌将提供环境安全且显着便宜的聚合物絮凝剂替代品。此外，由于工程菌将与悬浮固体一起沿着并在死亡后自然沉降，预计将形成更致密的成熟细粒尾矿。最后，通过基因工程 ** 的安全性已被认为是使用最佳实践原则，以确保使用 ** 这些细菌不会造成环境危害。