TREATMENT OF OIL SAND BITUMEN TO PRODUCE LOW CALCIUM BITUMEN

摘要

A method is provided to prepare a low calcium bitumen composition from an oil sand composition, the method including the steps of: contacting an oil sand composition with water and a basic material such as, for example, caustic to form a water and oil sand slurry; separating the water and oil sand slurry into a froth, comprising water, some mineral solids, and a bitumen composition, and a underflow stream comprising the majority of the mineral solids present in the oil sand composition and a majority of the water present in the water and oil sand slurry; contacting at least a portion of the bitumen composition with an acid; and separating the acid from the bitumen wherein at last a portion of calcium present in the bitumen composition has partitioned to the acid.