Naphthenic acids are key contributors to toxicity of heavy oil refining effluents

Naphthenic Acids in Athabasca Oil Sands Tailings Waters Are Less Biodegradable than Commercial Naphthenic Acids

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are natural constituents in many petroleum sources, including bitumen in the oil sands of Northern Alberta, Canada. Bitumen extraction processes produce tailings waters that cannot be discharged to the environment because NAs are acutely toxic to aquatic species. However, aerobic biodegradation reduces the toxic character of NAs. In this study, four commercial NAs and the...

Naphthenic acids in athabasca oil sands tailings waters are less biodegradable than commercial naphthenic acids.

Naphthenic acids (NAs) are natural constituents in many petroleum sources, including bitumen in the oil sands of Northern Alberta, Canada. Bitumen extraction processes produce tailings waters that cannot be discharged to the environment because NAs are acutely toxic to aquatic species. However, aerobic biodegradation reduces the toxic character of NAs. In this study, four commercial NAs and the...

Bicyclic naphthenic acids in oil sands process

Acute and subchronic mammalian toxicity of naphthenic acids from oil sands tailings.

Naphthenic acids are the most significant environmental contaminants resulting from petroleum extraction from oil sands deposits. In this study, a mixture of naphthenic acids isolated from Athabasca oil sands (AOS) tailings pond water was used in acute and subchronic toxicity tests with rodents, in order to assess potential risks posed to terrestrial wildlife. Dosages were chosen to bracket wor...

Mid-chain carboxylic acids by catalytic refining of microalgae oil

Microalgae oil serves as a feedstock for a biorefinery approach to mid-chain (di-)carboxylic acid esters, currently only accessible via demanding synthetic routes. Via the butenolysis of monoand poly-unsaturated fatty acids, short-chain unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters and monoand di-enes were produced in a high selectivity. These olefins were further processed into value added linear mid-c...