Tailings Dewatering & MFT Treatment
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Tailings Dewatering & MFT Treatment
Centrifugation, Pressure Filtration & Active Dewatering for Oil Sands Mature Fine Tailings — AER D085 Compliance
Tailings dewatering encompasses the active mechanical and chemical processes used to remove water from oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT) and fluid fine tailings (FFT), accelerating consolidation to produce material that meets Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) Directive 085 ready-to-reclaim (RTR) criteria. GWTS has delivered tailings dewatering programs from pilot scale through commercial deployment, with the MFT Treatment Program (2012–2017) representing a multi-year, multi-million dollar commercial centrifugation program for a major Alberta oil sands operator.
Key Technologies
- Decanter Centrifugation: High-speed continuous centrifuges separate MFT into dewatered cake (45–70% solids) and centrate. High throughput — suitable for large-volume commercial programs. GWTS commercial-scale experience from 2012–2017 program.
- Pressure Filtration: Membrane and belt filter presses achieve higher cake solids (60–75%) than centrifugation alone. Better suited to smaller programs or final dewatering of pre-thickened material.
- Polymer Flocculant Programs: Cationic PAM flocculant selection and dose optimization through jar testing. Polymer consumption is a major operating cost driver — GWTS has extensive optimization experience.
- Centrate Treatment: MF pretreatment of centrate for recycle or discharge — contains fine clays, residual organics, naphthenic acids, and dissolved solids requiring treatment before further use.