COSIA: Low Energy Water Treatment Technology Challenge
Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance and the University of Alberta were looking for innovative solutions for the treatment of dissolved organic compounds present in Oil Sands Process Water.
CHALLENGE LAUNCH: NOVEMBER 2022
Low Energy Water Treatment Technology Challenge
The Low Energy Water Treatment Technology Challenge, a collaboration between COSIA and the University of Alberta, focuses on enhancing environmental performance in Canada's oil sands industry.
This challenge aims to develop innovative technologies to treat dissolved organic compounds in Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW), addressing a critical need for sustainable water management and establish Canada as a leader in sustainable water management practices within the oil sands industry.
Although still in the early stages, the challenge has successfully identified promising solutions. The winner is currently testing and refining their technology further in collaboration with Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din at the University of Alberta.
The Opportunity
Canada has big plans to become an innovation leader and global pace-setter in the transition to a green economy. But, in order for this to become a reality, we must rapidly advance cleantech solutions across all sectors.
To achieve this, the Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) focuses on enhancing the environmental performance of oil sands operations through collaboration and innovation. COSIA’s Water Environment Priority Area (EPA) aspires to be a world leader in water management, aiming to produce Canadian energy with no adverse impacts on water. This involves balancing improved water use with reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Oil sands contain about 6% to 15% bitumen and 80% to 85% mineral solids, with the remaining portion being water. In surface mining operations, Oil Sands Process Water (OSPW) is heated and mixed with oil sands to separate bitumen from mineral solids.
This process, approximately 80% to 85% efficient, results in bitumen being floated while tailings—a mix of water, sand, silt, clay, and some unrecovered bitumen—are deposited in storage.
The Partners
COSIA is a unique alliance of oil sands producers focused on accelerating environmental performance in Canada’s oil sands. COSIA enables collaboration and innovation between thinkers from industry, government, academia and the wider public to improve measurement, accountability and performance in the oil sands across four environmental priority areas of Greenhouse Gases, Land, Water, and Tailings. COSIA members search the world for solutions to our toughest problems. COSIA’s Water EPA aspires to be world leaders in water management, producing Canadian energy with no adverse impact on water.
Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din is the NSERC Senior Industrial Research Chair in Oil Sands Tailings Water Treatment and a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. Dr. Gamal El-Din has an active research program in the area of oil sands tailings water treatment. The goal of this research area is to provide not only innovative treatment and reclamation approaches to protect environmental and public health, but also to facilitate water reuse and/or the safe discharge of treated process water into the receiving environment while ensuring the environment and human health are protected.
COSIA’s EPA and Dr. Gamal El-Din have formed a research partnership to reduce water use and increase water recycling rates within oil sands operations. Together, they have identified a need for low-energy technologies to treat dissolved organic compounds present in OSPW.
Challenge Background & Considerations
Despite over 50 years of operation, no treated OSPW has been released back into the Athabasca River. This has led to increasing inventories and higher salination levels of OSPW due to recycling and reduced water usage. Delaying the release of treated OSPW further hinders the reclamation of mine sites, highlighting the urgent need for innovative water treatment technologies.
Successful technologies will:
1
Work in a northern climate
2
Require little or no energy inputs, operator interaction or maintenance
3
Treat the dissolved organics such that the OSPW passes the acute bioassays
4
Be TRL 4 or above
Desired Outcomes & Eligibility:
Successful proposals were able to work with Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din at no cost to test their technology using real OSPW in his research facility at the University of Alberta. They were also eligible to receive funding from COSIA members to further develop and demonstrate the technology in an oil sands application. Multiple technologies were funded at the discretion of COSIA’s members.
Improvements to existing technologies or new non-mechanical technologies were considered.
WINNER ANNOUNCED: APRIL 2023
The Challenge Winners
In total, eight applications were received. Foresight managed the submission process and undertook a basic screening process to remove clearly deficient applications. After our screening, two applications were deemed ineligible, as they did not align with the goals of the Challenge.
All eligible applications received during the competition were shared with the University of Alberta and COSIA members for the technical review process. Any additional information requested by the reviewers from the applicants during the evaluation process was coordinated by the Foresight team.
Two finalists were selected and invited to pitch to the review committee in April, 2023. They were:
- Jeosal Materials Research Corporation who is developing advanced materials from a process that recycles fibre-reinforced plastic waste from end-of-life sources and manufacturing processes. These advanced materials include fibrous and granular porous carbons used as adsorbent materials for water and wastewater treatment.
- Wetland Treatment Solutions engineered wetland treatment is an advanced engineered wetland implementing MSR technology created from the former patented Kickuth Wetland technology and is based on technology in use at the Heglig oil field facility in Sudan, Africa.
After the pitches, Jeosal Materials Research Corporation was selected as the winner of this challenge.
UPDATED: JULY 2024
Outcomes
Jeosal is developing advanced materials from a process that recycles fibre-reinforced plastic waste from end-of-life sources and manufacturing processes. Through this Challenge, these advanced materials will be tested as adsorbent materials for OSPW treatment.
As winners of this Challenge, Jeosal is currently working with Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din to test out their technology using real OSPW in his research facility at the University of Alberta, and may also be eligible to receive funding from COSIA members to further develop and demonstrate the technology in an oil sands application. Through this technology, they hope to have a major impact on the sustainability of Canada’s oil sands sector.
Quotes
At Foresight, we truly believe that Canada can be the first G7 country to reach net zero. But, in order to achieve this, we need to focus on finding solutions that preserve and recycle our most precious natural resources, and drastically improve sustainability practices across all sectors. I’m so excited that we had the opportunity to join forces with COSIA and the University Alberta to drive innovation and improve environmental performance in this critical space.
Jeanette Jackson CEO, Foresight Canada
Jeosal is delighted to be the winner of the COSIA Low Energy Water Treatment Technology Challenge. We are confident that Jeosal’s recycling technology and repurposing of recycled fibers to create advanced materials for water treatment, will assist companies in the COSIA collaboration in providing more efficient, reusable, and affordable water treatment solutions, as well as diverting plastic composite waste from landfills. It is an exciting opportunity for us, and we look forward to exploring the product’s suitability and potential areas for improvement together with COSIA.
Alice Senso COO, Jeosal Materials Research Corporation
At the University of Alberta, we are working on multidisciplinary research to establish the basis of new wastewater treatment and reclamation approaches that depend on sustainable sources of materials and/or energy. We’re doing this by combining different technologies and developing new materials that will help achieve sustainable wastewater treatment systems. We are pleased to be part of this Challenge that has identified an innovative approach to treat oil sands process water. Congratulations to the winner and thank you to all the applicants that participated in this Challenge. We look forward to continuing to work on safe and resilient wastewater reclamation approaches for the sustainable development of Alberta and Canada.
Dr. Mohamed Gamal El-Din Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta
The Water team at COSIA, the technology development division of Pathways Alliance Inc, has been working for more than a decade with COSIA members to discover, develop, and test new and innovative low energy water treatment technologies that have a positive net environmental effect. While we have identified a number of technologies that meet most of these requirements, we’re always interested in finding something better. Jeosal presents a unique opportunity to repurpose waste materials into an effective water treatment technology for the oil sands. I’d like to congratulate Jeosal and look forward to seeing the test results from the combined research efforts of Jeosal and Dr Mohamed Gamal El Din’s team at U of A.
John Brogly Director, Water, COSIA
Our Partners
This Challenge is presented with support from COSIA and the University of Alberta.
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