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

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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.****