The present embodiments generally relate to the use of one or more polymers, e.g., one or more dry acid polymers and/or one or more dry acid polymers with salt, as flocculants, generally for treating tailings, e.g., oil sands tailings, in need of solid-liquid separation, e.g., in order to efficiently recycle water and/or to reduce the volume of tailings which may be transferred to a tailings pond and/or a dedicated disposal area.

In order to solve the problem in the existing conventional water treatment process of low removal efficiency of heavy metal in water, especially lower efficiency for simultaneous removal of heavy metal pollutants during coexisting, a method is provided for removing heavy metal pollutants in water with divalent manganese strengthened ferrate: preparing a ferrate mother liquor having the concentration of 20-10,000 mmol/L; preparing a divalent manganese salt mother liquor having the concentration of 30-10,000 mmol/L; adding the divalent manganese salt mother liquor into water of the heavy metal pollutants; then adding the ferrate mother liquor, and reacting; and then adding a flocculant and precipitating, so that the removal rate of arsenate, chromium, thallium, antimony, chromium and molybdate in water is 90% or more, and the removal rate of heavy metal such as lead and cadmium is 85% or more.

This invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising, (a) an ion-exchange resin (IXR) comprising microporous beads having a particle size ranging from about 200 um to about 1000 um; (b) a water soluble surfactant having a molecular weight ranging from about 7,500 to about 15,000 Da; and (c) a buffer component; wherein the pH of the aqueous composition ranges from about 5 to about 8, and a process for isolating chemical contaminants using the aqueous composition.

This invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising, (a) an ion-exchange resin (IXR) comprising microporous beads having a particle size ranging from about 200 um to about 1000 um; (b) a water soluble surfactant having a molecular weight ranging from about 7,500 to about 15,000 Da; and (c) a buffer component; wherein the pH of the aqueous composition ranges from about 5 to about 8, and a process for isolating chemical contaminants using the aqueous composition.

Methods and systems for treating oil sands tailings streams using multiple dosages of lime are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the method comprises providing a tailings stream including 3-40% solids by total weight, combining the tailings stream with a first dosage of lime to produce a first mixture having a pH of less than 12.0, and then combining the first mixture with a polymer to produce a second mixture. In some embodiments, the method can further include combining the second mixture with a second dosage of lime to produce a third mixture having a pH greater than 12.0, and dewatering the third mixture in a centrifuge unit and/or a pressure filtration unit to produce a product stream having 55% or more solids by weight.

Methods are provided for treating intimately dispersed mixtures of water, bitumen, and fine clay particles, such as oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT). Select methods use dissolved silicate ions and a base (alkali), optionally in combination with a biopolymer, to flocculate a slurry. A mixing regime is disclosed involving the addition to MFT of silicate ions in solution and alkali, to initiate aggregation/destabilization of clay particles. Methods are exemplified that provide distinct sediment layers in conjunction with the release of residual bitumen (for example 40-50% of the initial bitumen content). In these exemplified embodiments, a densely packed bottom layer containing ˜75 wt. % solids showed high yield stress values (3.5-5.5 kPa) and entrapped little residual bitumen (0.2-0.3 wt. %). The methods accordingly segregate a material suitable for reclamation.

Methods are provided for treating intimately dispersed mixtures of water, bitumen, and fine clay particles, such as oil sands mature fine tailings (MFT). Select methods use dissolved silicate ions and a base (alkali), optionally in combination with a biopolymer, to flocculate a slurry. A mixing regime is disclosed involving the addition to MFT of silicate ions in solution and alkali, to initiate aggregation/destabilization of clay particles. Methods are exemplified that provide distinct sediment layers in conjunction with the release of residual bitumen (for example 40-50% of the initial bitumen content). In these exemplified embodiments, a densely packed bottom layer containing ˜75 wt. % solids showed high yield stress values (3.5-5.5 kPa) and entrapped little residual bitumen (0.2-0.3 wt. %). The methods accordingly segregate a material suitable for reclamation.

Disclosed herein are graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compounds or polymers, and methods of making and using. Also described herein are tagged compositions including an industrial water source treatment compound or polymer combined with a graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The tagged materials are tailored to fluoresce at wavelengths with minimized correspondence to the natural or “background” fluorescence of irradiated materials in industrial water sources, enabling quantification of the concentration of the water source treatment compound or polymer in situ by irradiation and fluorescence measurement of the water source containing the tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The fluorescence measurement methods are similarly useful to quantify mixtures of tagged and untagged water source treatment compounds or polymers present in an industrial water source.

Disclosed herein are graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compounds or polymers, and methods of making and using. Also described herein are tagged compositions including an industrial water source treatment compound or polymer combined with a graphene quantum dot tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The tagged materials are tailored to fluoresce at wavelengths with minimized correspondence to the natural or “background” fluorescence of irradiated materials in industrial water sources, enabling quantification of the concentration of the water source treatment compound or polymer in situ by irradiation and fluorescence measurement of the water source containing the tagged water source treatment compound or polymer. The fluorescence measurement methods are similarly useful to quantify mixtures of tagged and untagged water source treatment compounds or polymers present in an industrial water source.

A chemical dosing optimization apparatus includes a chemical dosing optimization part and a chemical dosing output control part, wherein the chemical dosing optimization part receives real-time data at least from a water treatment plant treating feed water by dosing a chemical and providing a treated water, analyzes the real-time data through a water treatment model in response to receiving the real-time data, derives a prediction value for predicting a state of the treated water of the water treatment plant, and derives a control value based on the prediction value through a controller, such that the control value is to set a minimum of a chemical dosage to be dosed in the feed water while the state of the treated water of the water treatment plant is maintained in a normal range, and wherein the chemical dosing output control part provides the control value to a water treatment control device.