In northeastern Alberta, oil sands deposits are mined and processed to extract bitumen, which is then converted to synthetic crude oil, a waste stream of this extraction process is fluid fine tailings. Seepage and leaching from these tailings have the potential to negatively impact surface and groundwater quality. This research focuses on improving and understanding dissolved ions that may seep from treated oil sands fine tailings using long-term column leaching experiments. Concentrations of dissolved ions in water leaching from the columns were measured over nineteen months. For most ions, changes in concentration were as expected, generally decreasing once a peak concentration was reached soon after the start of the experiment. However, some ion concentrations, particularly those of magnesium and strontium, increased late in the experiment. When at maximum concentration, for two to three pore volumes, the leachate (or eluant) from the columns exceeded Alberta Tier 1 guidelines (groundwater remediation guidelines for sodium, arsenic and zinc). The Tier 1 guideline for sodium is 200 mg/L and was exceeded during discharge from all four columns for at least some part of the experiment. Leachate also exceeded Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment water quality guidelines for protection of aquatic life for manganese and occasionally for cadmium, copper, lead and nickel.

在艾伯塔省东北部，油砂矿床被开采和加工以提取沥青，然后将其转化为合成原油，该提取过程的废物流是流体细尾矿。这些尾矿的渗漏和浸出有可能对地表和地下水质量产生负面影响。这项研究的重点是通过长期柱浸实验改进和了解可能从处理过的油砂细尾矿中渗出的溶解离子。在 19 个月内测量了从柱中浸出的水中溶解离子的浓度。对于大多数离子，浓度变化符合预期，通常在实验开始后不久达到峰值浓度时降低。然而，一些离子浓度，特别是镁和锶的浓度，在实验后期增加。当在最大浓度下，对于 2 到 3 个孔体积，来自色谱柱的渗滤液（或洗脱液）超过了艾伯塔第 1 级指南（钠、砷和锌的地下水修复指南）。钠的第 1 层准则是 200 mg/L，并且在至少部分实验的所有四列排放期间超出。渗滤液还超过了加拿大环境部长理事会关于保护水生生物的水质准则，其中锰含量有时也超过镉、铜、铅和镍含量。钠的第 1 层准则是 200 mg/L，并且在至少部分实验的所有四列排放期间超出。渗滤液还超过了加拿大环境部长理事会关于保护水生生物的水质指导方针，其中锰，偶尔还有镉、铜、铅和镍。钠的第 1 层准则是 200 mg/L，并且在至少部分实验的所有四列排放期间超出。渗滤液还超过了加拿大环境部长理事会关于保护水生生物的水质准则，其中锰含量有时也超过镉、铜、铅和镍含量。