Sunlight-Driven Treatment of Oil Sands Process Water

Challenge: Treatment of Contaminants of Potential Concern in Oil Sands Process Water

Oil sands operators face a critical operational and environmental challenge to manage the vast volumes of oil sands process-affected water laden with persistent contaminants of potential concern (COPC), including naphthenic acids, PAHs, and ammonia. Conventional chemical and physical treatment methods are unsuitable for treating the large quantities of stored OSPW, and the biological recalcitrance of some dissolved organics may not be adequately addressed by conventional passive treatment systems. Our clients needed a solution that could deliver broad-spectrum COPC removal, reduce toxicity, and scale efficiently for industrial deployment.

H2nanO's Solution

To address this, H2nanO demonstrated SolarPass, our passive advanced oxidation technology, which uses naturally occurring solar-UV light to generate hydroxyl and superoxide radicals in-situ, breaking down complex organics and other COPCs into less harmful compounds. Through SolarPass treatment we were able to demonstrate:

• Acute toxicity elimination – Demonstrated the whole effluent toxicity removal for rainbow trout and fathead minnow within 1-7 days of equivalent sunlight.
• Broad-spectrum contaminant removal – SolarPass achieved over 80% removal of naphthenic acids, PAHs, ammonia, and other bio-available organics via a passive advanced oxidation process.
• Validated key COPCs for treatment - non-classical naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFC) and ammonia were both found to correlate with toxicity. Complete NAFC elimination was not required for detoxification results.

SolarPass Benefits

SolarPass demonstrated effective removal of key potential contaminants in OSPW, helping our clients progress forward with their water management responsibilities and sustainability goals. Compared to conventional advanced oxidation systems, SolarPass offers significant energy savings through its semi-passive operation and use of solar UV light. SolarPass also operates completely off grid with minimal infrastructure required, ideal for remote locations in the mining and energy sectors. SolarPass is readily scalable and is highly compatible with conventional passive treatment technologies like constructed wetlands for comprehensive and cost-effective water treatment.

By demonstrating our photocatalyst technology, our clients are one step closer to addressing a pressing operational and environmental challenge. Together we are positioning ourselves as leaders in environmental sustainability and effective oil sands water treatment. Through this project and similar work, SolarPass has been validated as one of the best available technologies for oil sands process water treatment and detoxification. Have a difficult water treatment challenge? Reach out explore how SolarPass can help!