Canadian innovation: a conductive geocomposite for oil sands tailings

Abstract

The emergence of new resource development technologies and industrial processes combined with increased concerns for the environment bring new opportunities to geosynthetics. For example, one of the major challenges faced by the oil sands mining industry relates to tailings management. They are generated at a rate of 16 tons per ton of synthetic crude oil produced and have a high water content, which remains captive for extended periods of time. An innovative solution has been explored to permit an increased and faster consolidation / dewatering. It is based on the use of electrically conductive drain-tube planar geocomposites (eGCP). They combine nonwoven geotextiles which provide filtration and drainage, perforated pipes regularly positioned within the geocomposite, and a conductive component acting as an electrode. The development of this promising geocomposite product soon to be field-tested in oil sands tailings ponds in Northern Alberta was made possible thanks to the active partnership of a drainage geocomposite manufacturer, a geosynthetics research center, and an oil sands producers consortium.