Author Description

This book focuses on the hot-water process used in Alberta for the separation of bitumen from mined oil sands. It provides general background on the Alberta oil sands, with particular emphasis on surface-mineable sands, as well as on the properties of bitumen. It then details information about the hot-water process, including the role of chemical constituents of oil sands in the process, the physical properties of oil sand components and their effects on bitumen extraction, the role of surfactants and the fate of sodium hydroxide in the hot-water process, and alternatives to the direct use of sodium hydroxide as a process aid. The book concludes with a review of research into possible improvements to the hot-water process and alternatives to the hot-water process. The appendices include a review of methods used to characterize bitumen and procedures for batch extraction experiments and other laboratory work.