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Mildred Lake


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Jasper AB
Canada

The design and installation of a field instrumentation program for the evaluation of soil-atmosphere water fluxes in a vegetated cover over saline/sodic shale overburden


Author(s): Boese, C. D.

Year: 2003

Abstract:
The mining of oil sands near Fort McMurray, Alberta, involves the stripping of salinesadie overburden to gain access to the oil-bearing formation. The overburden is placed in mined out pits and surface dumps and is re-contoured before being capped with a mandated 1 m soil cover. The potential for slope instability, subsidence, and salinization resulting from the character of the saline-sodic material and its interaction with fresh water makes it imperative that the amount of precipitation percolating below the root zone be minimised. Syncrude Canada Ltd is conducting a large scale cover trial at the Mildred Lake mine in order to assess the performance of different reclamation strategies. Four 1 hectare prototype covers were placed on an area referred to as the SW30-Dump in order to study the basic mechanisms controlling moisture movement within the cover systems. Three covers were constructed in 1999 with configurations of 1.00 m, 0.50 m and 0.35 m thick and consisted of a thin layer of peat overlying varying thickness of secondary soil. A fourth study site was established on a recently reclaimed watershed capped with a 1.00 m cover of peat/secondary mix in 1996. A field instrumentation program was carried out consisting of detailed monitoring of matric suction, volumetric water content and temperature within the different soil profiles, as well as measurements of runoff, interflow and site-specific meteorological conditions. Generally, all instrumentation performed well and was found to correctly measure the soil-atmosphere fluxes required to assess each cover alternative. Evaluation of the covers revealed that the 1m layered cover was the only one to maintain sufficient soil moisture for all monitored growing seasons. A significant portion of the available soil water was held within the peat layer. The other three covers lacked the required storage during drier periods and on numerous occasions soil suction values exceeded the wilting point

The vertical wind profile at Mildred Lake, Alberta


Year: 1977

Abstract:
A study of the winds of the Alberta Tar Sands region was performed by the MEP Company from 1974 to 1976. The objectives of this study were to establish the wind climatology of the region in order to predict the dispersion of emissions from the Syncrude plant. Detailed studies of the vertical, horizontal and diurnal variation of the wind velocity were performed. The raw data consisted of pibal and minisonde soundings taken at least twice daily during the period of the field experiment. In addition, three periods of intensive studies, one during the winter and two during the summer, were performed. The field results were transformed into vertical profiles of the temperature, potential temperature, and wind velocity. Two models of the vertical profile of the wind, a power law model and a geostrophic model, were evaluated. The power law model was generally the better model in that it produced smaller RMS errors more often than the geostrophic model. The geostrophic model was more successful during winter limited mixing. Several levels were tested as a reference height for the power law. The best height was found to be 183 metres. The exponent of the power law varied considerably with the stability, while the actual reference height used made relatively little difference, considering the entire data set. The diurnal variation of the wind was found to have typical characteristics. Surface winds had maximum values at the time of maximum heating and minimum values during mid-morning.

Traditional land use assessment


Year: 1998

Abstract:
The objectives of the baseline study portion of Syncrude Canada Ltd. Mildred Lake Upgrader's regulatory application were to summarize existing information on traditional land use in the project area; identify the nature and extent of historical and current traditional land use in the project area; identify and map important hunting and trapping areas, medicinal plant and berry harvesting areas, and cultural sites; document the traditional environmental knowledge associated with traditional harvesting activities in the project area for use in the environmental impact assessment; and record concerns regarding the project and its cumulative effects. This report gives a broad and comprehensive discussion of the methodology and principles of approach used for the study, including working definitions, pre-existing issues and concerns, management goals, and assessment approach. Issues and concerns expressed by Fort McKay First Nation are presented in a synthesised manner, divided by study discipline. Detailed tables and maps of traditional resource use are also included. The authors conclude that "There are no significant effects on Traditional Land Use from the Project."

Using "omics" approaches to study anaerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation by microbes indigenous to oil sands tailings ponds


Author(s): Tan, B. - F.

Year: 2014

Abstract:
In oil sands tailings ponds, methanogenesis is driven in part by the degradation of hydrocarbons in residual solvents used as a diluent during bitumen extraction, such as naphtha. Alkanes constitute a large proportion of these unrecovered hydrocarbons in mature fine tailings (MFT). Methanogenic degradation of alkanes has been poorly described in the literature. Fumarate addition, widely reported for activation of alkanes and monoaromatic compounds under sulfate- and nitrate-reducing conditions, has not been demonstrated conclusively for alkane degradation under methanogenic conditions because signature metabolites and key organisms have not been detected and/or isolated. In order to understand methanogenic alkane degradation by microorganisms indigenous to oil sands tailings ponds, a model alkane-degrading culture (SCADC) was established using MFT obtained from Mildred Lake Settling Basin (MLSB) tailings pond. SCADC degraded many lower molecular weight alkanes, represented by n-C 6 -C 10, 2-methylpentane and methylcyclopentane during year-long methanogenic incubation, but expected fumarate addition products were only detected for 2-methylpentane and methylcyclopentane. Nucleic acids isolated from SCADC were subjected to metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis using Illumina Hi-Seq. Metagenomic binning using multiple approaches recovered several partial genomes, including novel syntrophic Desulfotomaculum and Smithella spp. that are genetically capable of fumarate addition, which was previously unknown. Metatranscriptomic analysis further confirmed the high expression of genes encoding enzymes for alkane addition to fumarate byDesulfotomaculum but not Smithella during active methanogenesis, indicating the importance of Firmicutes in fumarate activation of low molecular weight alkanes. Data mining of metagenomes of MLSB and hydrocarbon-impacted environments recovered novel fumarate addition genes undescribed previously, indicating the overall ubiquitous nature of these genes in anoxic environments. Comparative metagenomic analysis of SCADC to two other metagenomes of methanogenic toluene- and naphtha-degrading cultures, in addition to physiological studies, suggests that fumarate addition may be the bottleneck reaction in these three cultures. The cultures have the genetic capability of degrading structurally diverse hydrocarbons and share highly conserved and streamlined functions for anaerobic respiration and methanogenesis, unlike in situ environments impacted by hydrocarbons, which are highly variable in their functional capabilities. This observation provides future prospects for development of commercial cultures for bioremediation and biomethanization.

Using PLFA to constrain microbial distribution related to S-cycling in oil-sands composite tailings during reclamation


Author(s): Ngonadi, N.

Year: 2012

Abstract:
Microorganisms are the most abundant living things on the planet and they drive many important environmental processes. They can do this by coupling reduction – oxidation (redox) reactions. In such reactions, the oxidation of reduced organic matter is coupled with the reduction of another compound, which serves as the electron acceptor. All microbes contain lipids in their cells; phospholipids are the main components of the cell membrane where they make up a consistent component of cell mass. Therefore, in situations where direct cell count is unrealistic, lipid analysis can be used to provide information on microbial communities. Because they hydrolyze shortly after cell death, PLFAs indicate only viable cell biomass, and PLFA analysis provides valuable insight on cell density distribution across a site. One application of PLFA analysis is within this thesis, where it was used to investigate the microbial community at Mildred Lake, Syncrude’s primary tailings settling basin. At Mildred Lake, Syncrude is constructing a freshwater fen over the deposited composite tailings (CT) as part of their reclamation process. Understanding the microbial biogeochemical cycling associated with these reclamation activities is an important component for management decisions affecting the site and thus, inform future reclamation activities. PLFA analysis on samples from the site showed variable concentrations equivalent to estimated cell densities on the order of 107 decreasing to 106 in the CT. These cell density ranges are expected for oligotrophic systems. Phospholipids can also be biomarkers if they are indicative of a specific group of microbes. The study at Mildred Lake identified biomarkers for sulfate reducing bacteria (SRBs). The presence of these biomarkers provided a basis for the hypothesis that sulfide detected at the site was potentially from SRBs. This thesis provides information on the fundamental concepts of lipids and the application of lipid analysis on the environmental samples from the Mildred Lake site to understand its microbial community and cycling of sulfur to prevent potential environmental issues associated with the generation of sulfide.

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