Treatment of tailings with deionized silicate solutions
AssigneeThe Chemours Company Fc, LLC
InventorsRobert Harvey Moffett, Sigridur Soley Kristjansdottir
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Abstract
A process for treating a tailings stream comprises (a) contacting a deionized silicate solution with a tailings stream whereby the solids are entrapped within a gel produced from the silicate solution; and (b) allowing the gel to strengthen and solidify. The process may further comprise spreading the gel produced in step (a) over a surface. The present invention is particularly useful to treat tailings streams produced in processes to extract bitumen from oil sands ores.
Claims20
A process for treating a tailings stream without use of an activator comprising (a) contacting a deionized silicate solution having a molar ratio of Si:M of at least 2.6, wherein M is an alkali metal, with a tailings stream comprising water and solids whereby the solids are entrapped within a gel produced from the silicate solution;
- and (b) allowing the gel to strengthen and solidify.
A process for treating a tailings stream comprising (a) contacting a deionized silicate solution having a molar ratio of Si:M of at least 2.6, wherein M is an alkali metal, with a tailings stream comprising water and solids whereby the solids are entrapped within a gel produced from the silicate solution;
- and (b) allowing the gel to strengthen and solidify;
- wherein the process is completed without use of an activator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.