Suncor has developed new technology that transforms liquid materials in tailings ponds into a type of solid, dry material.
Name
Shelley Powell
Title
Vice President Extraction
Company
Suncor Energy Inc.
Years of Experience
15
Location
Fort McMurray Alberta
Best part of the job
Being able to influence
and contribute to the
reduction of Suncor’s
environmental footprint.
Tailings Technology
Our first tailings pond is in its early stages of reclamation. Tailings result when we extract the bitumen from the oil sand. It has a lot of fine particles in it and if left on its own would take decades to settle.
The new technology that we’ve developed allows us to transform liquid materials in our tailings ponds into a type of solid, dry material in just a couple of weeks.
This is a game changer.
It’s amazing to think that we can reclaim tailings ponds in a fraction of the amount of time that it had taken in the past.
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The issue
Water is an important part of oil and gas production, and as Canada’s oil and gas industry grows, so does the demand on Canadian water resources.
What we’re doing
The upstream oil and gas industry is committed to using water responsibly. The industry is a leader in researching recycling techniques, reusing water and focusing on using non-drinkable water as an alternative to fresh water.
Read more about how the industry is working to reduce its water use
Technological developments enable us to reduce the amount of water we use, and increase our use of recycled and undrinkable water.
Canadian Natural Resources Limited is commercializing promising new ways to manage the tailings pond at its Horizon Oil Sands facility, 70 kilometers north of Fort McMurray. These new methods will require less storage space for fluid tailings, accelerate the process of reclamation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more