Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

This application is to support the purchase of a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with the upgraded transfer system to be housed in the Oil Sands Engineering laboratory. The TGA with the upgraded transfer system will be integrated with our existing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), to become a unique facility for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of molecular species and their interactions with solid surfaces. The hyphenation of TGA with both FTIR and GC-MS via the upgraded transfer system will provide an opportunity to support research in the Oil Sands Chair renewal program, studying organic contaminants adsorbing on unavoidable mineral solids during oil sands processing, which is detrimental to oil sands bitumen extraction efficiency and froth quality, leading to oil loss into tailings. The TGA with upgraded transfer system requested here will complement a suite of instruments that have been used to establish world leading research in the area of liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfacial phenomena, pertinent to bitumen recovery and tailings management under the current NSERC-IRC in Oil Sands Engineering (established since 1996). The success of the research in this important area will provide scientific basis to the development of breakthrough technologies to increase bitumen recovery from oil sands ores at ambient temperatures, especially from increasingly lower grade oil sands ores, and minimize the fraction of bitumen loss into the tailings ponds for more effective oil sands tailings management, minimizing negative environmental impacts of the industry and utilization of fresh water. With this research tool, we also anticipate successful training of more than 30 HQPs in various areas critical to Canadian energy, minerals and coal industry.