In similar experiments conducted in 1996 and 2009, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were stocked into two experimental systems: a demonstration lake where oil sands fine tailings were capped with natural water and a lake in a watershed containing bitumen-bearing sodic clays. In both experiments, yellow perch were captured in May from a nearby reservoir and released into the experimental ponds. P...

Increasingly, crudes of high acidity are observed in production of petroleum reserves. Naphthenic acids, which are generally cyclic and branched aliphatic carboxylic acids, are interfacially active and adsorb at water–oil interfaces to form monolayers, liquid crystalline films, and other colloidal structures. A serious challenge in petroleum production is the resulting stabilization of water-in...

Oil sand tailings pond water contains naphthenic acids and process chemicals (e.g., alkyl sulphates, quaternary ammonium compounds, and alkylphenol ethoxylates). These chemicals are toxic and can seep through the foundation of the tailings pond to the subsurface, potentially affecting the quality of groundwater. As a result, it is important to measure the thermodynamic and transport parameters ...

Rainbow trout were exposed in situ to oil sands-affected waters for 21 d, either with or without an immune stimulation using inactivated Aeromonas salmonicida. Three aquatic systems were utilized for the experiment: a pond containing oil sands tailings capped with approximately 3 m of natural surface water, a second pond where unextracted oil sands materials were deposited in the watershed, and...