Screen, validate and scale-up third-party technologies in oil sands environmental sustainability
The Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (COSS) was formed in 2010 with an endowment of $1.5M from the Ledcor Group and seed funding from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). COSS bridges the gap between existing oil sands environmental research and relevant solutions with an immediate impact on sustainability. The primary focus of the centre is to enable solutions developed by third-party innovators and small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to be screened, validated, scaled-up, and integrated within a systems-based approach to complex mineable oil sands tailings and water management challenges.
Located on the NAIT main campus in the Productivity and Innovation Centre, COSS’s 12,000 sq. ft. fully equipped high-tech lab is complemented with an expert team of applied scientists, engineers, technologists and summer students. COSS staff work in collaboration with the oil sands industry, academia, research and development organizations, and third-party innovators to take technology ideas from concept to commercialization.
Applied research, technology verification/ validation/ scale-up and commercialization, oil sands sustainability technology development
- Chemical industries
- Clean technology
- Energy (renewable and fossil)
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Mining, minerals and metals
Specialized labs and equipment
|
Equipment |
Function |
|---|---|
|
Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatograph with Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (UHPLC-QTOFMS) |
The QTOF is equipped with 3 different ion sources, electrospray ionization (ESI), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) to enable a wide variety of samples to be analyzed. The UHPLC enables the separation of components in complex mixtures |
|
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (MALDI-TOF) |
Capabilities include characterization of homopolymer and copolymer molecular weight distributions, composition and deconvolution of homopolymer and copolymer mixtures, hydrocarbon analysis quantification and characterization |
|
X-ray diffraction (XRD) with small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) |
Used for materials characterization such as crystal structure, physical properties of materials and thin film |
|
Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF) |
Capabilities include elemental analysis in different kinds of samples: solids, liquid or powder |
|
Atomic Force Microscope – Raman (AFM-Raman) |
Used to link the molecular information obtained by confocal Raman microscopy with the high-resolution surface information (structural and topographic surface imaging on the nanometer scale) acquired by AFM |
|
Avanti J-26XP Centrifuge |
Separation of solids from bitumen |
|
Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) |
Utilized for thermal analysis in which physical and chemical properties of materials changes with temperature, such as decomposition, degradation mechanism, thermal stability, oxidation, combustion |
|
Particle size analyzer |
Used to analyze particle size distribution of different materials, such as solids, emulsion solutions |
|
Micro Carbon Residue Analyzer (MCR) |
Used for the characterization of coke formation tendency |
|
UV–vis Spectrophotometer |
Analyze a variety of samples by conventional spectroscopy but advanced techniques can be implemented using the fibre optic accessory |
|
Bruker 450 Gas Chromatograph (2) |
Equipped for high temperature simulated distillation |
|
Bruker Varian 3900 Gas Chromatograph |
Equipped with a split/split less injector and flame ionization detector (FID) and is used for the analysis of lower boiling point components |
|
Bruker Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) |
FTIR with fixed path; attenuated reflectance and diffuse reflectance cells for the analysis of wide variety of organic compounds, films and powders |
|
Anton Paar SVM 3000 Viscometer |
Used to measure the dynamic viscosity and density of oily samples and is equipped with a 48-position auto-sampler |
Private and public sector research partners
- Canada Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA)
- Alberta Innovates (AI)
- Ledcor Environmental Solutions Ltd.
- Suncor Energy Inc.
- Enbridge Inc.
- RJ Oil Sands
- Apex Engineering
- Nalco Champion (Ecolab)
- Conetec Investigations Ltd.
- Switchable Solutions Inc.
- Oil Sands Research and Information Network (OSRIN)
- University of Alberta
Additional information
| Title | URL |
|---|---|
|
Catalogue of Analytical Methods for Naphthenic Acids Related to Oil Sands Operations, OSRIN Report No. TR-21. 65 pp. |
https://era.library.ualberta.ca/public/view/item/uuid:dea94135-dfe8-41d0-b57a-6181e085be18 |
|
Summary of 2013 Tailings Technology Development and Commercialization Workshop |
https://era.library.ualberta.ca/public/view/item/uuid:f4da3d45-4406-471b-b095-69c2442237f2 |
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COSS overview (video) |
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NAIT is re-launching its Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability with a new applied research chair |
https://www.jwnenergy.com/article/2016/4/nait-re-launching-its-centre-oil-sands-sustainability-new-… |
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NAIT Leading the Way for Oil Sands Wastewater Research |
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Andrea Sedgwick named Led Ledcor Applied Research Chair in Oil Sands Sustainability |
https://www.nait.ca/industry/news/andrea-sedgwick-named-ledcor-applied-research-chai |
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Trudeau on hand to open NAIT’s new Productivity and Innovation Centre |
https://www.techlifetoday.ca/articles/2018/trudeau-opens-productivity-and-innovation-centre |
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Support for clean water technologies to benefit the oil and gas industry |
https://www.nait.ca/industry/news/support-for-clean-water-technologies-to-benefit-th |
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NAIT: Improving methodologies in measurement could improve oilsands efficiencies |