Nanocellulose Filament Treatment for Management of Oil Sand Tailings

Performance BioFilament Inc. （PBI）积极致力于开发纳米纤维素长丝的工业应用，这是一种源自木纤维的可再生资源产品。纳米纤维素长丝具有优异的强度和独特的物理性能。这些特性允许纤维素用作增强剂，以提高各种材料的强度和稳定性。公司打算**扩大其产品的应用范围，以处理油砂尾矿。阿尔伯塔省北部的油砂采矿业已经积累了超过10亿立方米的细颗粒泥浆废物，称为流体细尾矿（FFT）。FFT沉降性能差，如果不进行处理，FFT将需要**年的时间来沉降和发展强度，从而推迟填海活动。为了允许在油砂矿区进行填海和封闭，必须增加FFT的强度和密度。需要研究补充现有的处理方法，以稳定FFT并加快填海过程。**预计用PBI的纳米纤维素长丝处理FFT将导致**强度和密度的有利增加。通过一系列的台架测试，测量纳米纤维素长丝处理FFT后的潜在强度和密度增强。开发纳米纤维素的最佳剂量和应用方法也将进行。最终，本项目**旨在开发利用纳米纤维素长丝稳定FFT的工艺，从而促进油砂尾矿库更快的回收和关闭。

Performance BioFilament Inc. (PBI) is actively engaged in developing industrial applications of nanocellulose**filaments, a renewable resource product derived from wood fibre. The nanocellulose filaments have**exceptional strength and unique physical properties. These features permit the cellulose to be used as**reinforcement agents to enhance the strength and stability of a variety of materials. The company intends to**extend the application of their product to treat oil sands tailings. The oil sands mining industry in northern**Alberta has amassed a significant volume of over 1 billion cubic meters of fine grained slurry waste known as**fluid fine tailings (FFT). The FFT has poor settling properties and without treatment, the FFT would take**decades to settle and develop strength thereby delaying reclamation activities. To permit reclamation and**closure to proceed at the oil sand mine sites, the strength and density of FFT must be increased. Research is**needed to supplement current treatment approaches to stabilize the FFT and speed up the reclamation process.**It is anticipated that treatment of FFT with PBI's nanocellulose filaments would lead to a favourable increase in**strength and density. Through a series of bench top tests, measurements of potential strength and density**enhancements, as a result of treating FFT with nanocellulose filaments, will be conducted. Development of an**optimal dose and application method of the nanocellulose will also be undertaken. Ultimately, this project**aims to develop the process of using nanocellulose filaments to stabilize FFT thereby promoting faster**reclamation and closure of the oil sand tailings deposits.