Understanding impacts of microbial methane ebullition in oil sands pit lakes: methane release and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons

了解油砂坑湖中微生物甲烷沸腾的影响：甲烷释放和石油碳氢化合物的运输

• 批准号: 571299-2021
• 负责人: Slater, GregoryGF
• 金额: $ 7.52万
• 依托单位: McMaster University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=751242
• 关键词: Understanding; impacts; microbial; methane; ebullition

Petroleum in the Alberta Oil Sands Region (AOSR) is a key component of the Canadian economy. Currently reclamation of land impacted, and tailings produced, by surface mining operations in the AOSR is a central industry and environmental priority in Canada. Syncrude Canada Ltd. has commissioned the first example of oil sands reclamation by water capped tailing technology (WCTT) via the development of an 8 km2 pit lake (PL) Base Mine Lake (BML) in 2012. While PL reclamation is commonly employed for tailings management in hard rock mining, the AOSR is unique due to the organic rich nature of the tailings. Since 2012 Syncrude has supported an intensive research program aimed at understanding the development of BML This research program has identified ongoing bubbling, known as ebullition, of microbially produced methane from the tailings. In addition to its implications to greenhouse gas emissions, this methane ebullition represents a potential mechanism for the transport of residual petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) and naphthenic acids (NA) into the water column. Transport of these compounds has the potential to negatively impact biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem development within BML. This research program will focus on characterizing compounds that can drive ongoing microbial methane production within BML and will evaluate the potential for PH and/or NA to be transported to the water column during methane ebullition. This research will not only inform adaptive management of BML and future PL in the AOSR thereby contributing to the key priorities of tailings management and reclamation of the AOSR, but it will also provide fundamental insights into the processes controlling petroleum hydrocarbon transport and fate in organic rich environments that can be transferred to other impacted environments including harbours, industrial shorelines, and spill sites. It will also train a diverse team of highly skilled personnel capable of contributing to the petroleum industry, environmental remediation, government monitoring and academic research in understanding biogeochemical cycling in organic rich and petroleum impacted environments.

阿尔伯塔油砂区（AOSR）的石油是加拿大经济的重要组成部分。目前，AOSR露天采矿作业所影响的土地和产生的尾矿的复垦是加拿大的一个中心产业和环境优先事项。 Syncrude Canada Ltd.于2012年通过开发一个8平方公里的坑湖（PL）Base Mine Lake（BML），委托了第一个采用水封尾技术（WCTT）进行油砂回收的例子。 虽然PL回收通常用于硬岩采矿中的尾矿管理，但由于尾矿的有机物丰富性质，AOSR是独特的。自2012年以来，Syncrude一直支持一项旨在了解BML发展的深入研究计划。该研究计划已经确定了尾矿中微生物产生的甲烷的持续冒泡（称为沸腾）。 除了其对温室气体排放的影响外，甲烷沸腾还代表了将残余石油烃（PH）和环烷酸（NA）运输到水柱中的潜在机制。 这些化合物的运输有可能对BML内的地球化学循环和生态系统发展产生负面影响。 该研究计划将重点关注能够驱动BML内正在进行的微生物甲烷生产的化合物，并将评估在甲烷沸腾期间PH和/或NA被输送到水柱的潜力。 这项研究不仅将为AOSR中BML和未来PL的适应性管理提供信息，从而为AOSR的尾矿管理和复垦的关键优先事项做出贡献，而且还将为控制石油烃运输和有机物丰富环境中的命运的过程提供基本见解，这些过程可以转移到其他受影响的环境，包括港口，工业海岸线和泄漏地点。 它还将培养一支多样化的高技能人才队伍，能够为石油工业，环境修复，政府监测和学术研究做出贡献，以了解有机物丰富和石油影响环境中的生物地球化学循环。