Surface Separation Technologies

The Alberta Research Council's first patent, issued in 1921, was for the Karl Clark hot water extraction process, which is still the base of the technologies used to extract bitumen from Alberta's oil sands today.

That pioneering event was the start of a long history of technology growth to develop the vast oil sands resources in our province.

Today, we work with companies involved in the extraction of bitumen from mineable oil sands and oil shale to develop and implement technologies that:

• increase production
• reduce costs, and
• reduce the environmental impacts of oil sands mining operations.

Services

• Evaluation of oil sands extraction technologies
• Oil sands sample bank
• Lease characterization/oil sands sample analysis

Oil Sands Tailing Research Facility (OSTRF)

We collaborate with academic and industry partners at the $2.2 million Oil Sands Tailings Research Facility (OSTRF). Since 2004, OSTRF undertakes tailings research to help industry meet environmental regulations, address safety and liability issues, and reduce operating costs.