Prototype Testing on Oil Sands Tailings: ElectroKinetic Solutions-Dewatering Technology (EKS-DT) Project

Lead Proponent

ElectroKinetic Solutions Inc.

Project Objectives

This project involves field testing of the ElectroKinetic Solutions-Dewatering Technology (EKS-DT) process. The EKS-DT process will deploy electrodes to dewater oil sands and other mine tailings, which shows the potential of faster reclamation including legacy mined-out sites into sustainable and useful landscapes.

The objectives of this project are to investigate and refine the performance of a prototype of the EKS-DT process under field conditions, develop and test an automated control system for the operation of the technology, and improve the estimations of capital and operating costs for commercial-scale installations.

Expected Results

The project will confirm effectiveness of the EKS-DT process to dewater and mitigate environmental impacts at field scale and improve the cost forecasts for eventual commercialization. If commercially deployed in the industry, the long-term benefits may include reduction of costs of tailings management, decrease the disturbed land footprint from tailings handling, storage, and disposal and cost reductions in tailings management, among others.