Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-6-2020
Keywords
Alberta, water pollutants, chemical, sand, carboxylic, acids, groundwater, hydrocarbons, oil and gas fields
Abstract
The objective of this study was to advance analytical methods for detecting oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) seepage from mining containments and discriminating any such seepage from the natural bitumen background in groundwaters influenced by the Alberta McMurray formation. Improved sampling methods and quantitative analyses of two groups of monoaromatic acids were employed to analyze OSPW and bitumen-affected natural background groundwaters for source discrimination. Both groups of monoaromatic acids showed significant enrichment in OSPW, while ratios of O /O containing heteroatomic ion classes of acid extractable organics (AEOs) did not exhibit diagnostic differences. Evaluating the monoaromatic acids to track a known plume of OSPW-affected groundwater confirmed their diagnostic abilities. A secondary objective was to assess anthropogenically derived artificial sweeteners and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as potential tracers for OSPW. Despite the discovery of acesulfame and PFAS in most OSPW samples, trace levels in groundwaters influenced by general anthropogenic activities preclude them as individual robust tracers. However, their inclusion with the other metrics employed in this study served to augment the tiered, weight of evidence methodology developed. This methodology was then used to confirm earlier findings of OSPW migrations into groundwater reaching the Athabasca River system adjacent to the reclaimed pond at Tar Island Dyke.
Faculty
Faculty of Applied Science & Technology (FAST)
Journal
Environmental science & technology
Volume
54
Issue
3
First Page
1522
Version
Publisher's version
Peer Reviewed/Refereed Publication
yes
Copyright
© 2020 American Chemical Society
Terms of Use
Terms of Use for Works posted in SOURCE.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Original Publication Citation
Hewitt, L. M., Roy, J. W., Rowland, S. J., Bickerton, G., DeSilva, A., Headley, J. V., . . . Frank, R. A. (2020). Advances in distinguishing groundwater influenced by oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) from natural bitumen-influenced groundwaters. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(3), 1522.
SOURCE Citation
Hewitt, Mark L.; Roy, James W.; Rowland, Steve J.; Bickerton, Greg; DeSilva, Amila; Headley, John V.; Milestone, Craig B.; Scarlett, Alan G.; Brown, Susan; Spencer, Christine; West, Charles E.; Peru, Kerry M.; Grapentine, Lee; Ahad, Jason M.E; Pakdel, Hooshang; and Frank, Richard A., "Advances in Distinguishing Groundwater Influenced by Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW) from Natural Bitumen-Influenced Groundwater" (2020). Publications and Scholarship. 41.
https://source.sheridancollege.ca/fast_publications/41
