PROCESS TO RECOVER BITUMEN FROM MINERAL SLIMES RESULTING FROM TAR SANDS PROCESSING

摘要

The present invention is an improved method for recovering bitumen from a waste sludge containing bitumen, mineral and water. The sludge is obtained from a retention pond used to store tailings from water extraction of bitumen from tar sands and is converted to a froth from which the bitumen is recovered. The improved method involves the combined steps of conditioning the sludge to reduce viscosity by (a) removing carbon dioxide and methane from the sludge and (b) further reducing the viscosity of the sludge with an additive, subjecting the thus conditioned sludge to air flotation in a flotation cell, deaerating the froth thus obtained and recovering the bitumen.