Metal Transport near a Tailings Facility in the Alberta Oil Sands

The main concern that surrounds the large-scale, industrial oil sands operations in the Alberta Oil Sands is the potential for oil sands process-affected water to leak from tailings facilities into the surrounding environments. Many parameters control trace metal migration as OSPW enters wetland environments that comprise approximately 30% of Northern Alberta, including pH, redox potential, temperature, organic matter, inorganic water chemistry, and hydrology. This study aims to quantify the control organometallic complexes exert on the mobility of trace metal loads where tailings facilities are adjacent to wetland environments. Geochemical modeling indicated that humic substances are the primary sorption phase, and likely dominate the chemical behavior of many metals, however, organometallic complexes are not currently taken into account in environmental monitoring programs. A refined understanding of the environmental and geochemical processes operating within this system is required to determine the potential risk OSPW leakage represents to these ecosystems.