Yuan, XS & Lahaie, R 2010, 'Paste and thickened tailings technology and its applicability in oil sand tailings management', in R Jewell & AB Fourie (eds), Paste 2010: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 437-449, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_rep/1063_38_Yuan
(https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1063_38_Yuan/)
Abstract: Management of fine tailings is a common challenge faced by many mining companies. In some cases, these 
tailings management challenges can have a significant impact on overall mine operations. Paste and 
thickened tailings (P&TT) technology is an integrated engineering system. It generally includes the thickener 
feed preparation process, thickener type selection and thickening process, flocculant selection and 
flocculation technology development, P&TT transport, deposition and consolidation, strategy of reuse of 
thickener overflow water, and impacts on environment and existing plant operation, etc. Specific to the oil 
sand industry, several unique situations present themselves. The first is heat recovery; with large amounts of 
heat required in the oil sand extraction process, thickeners offer the opportunity to recover significant heat 
from tailings. Secondly, the tonnage and volume of materials handled along with the varying clay content 
demand a thickener that can handle significant variability in feed characteristics (flow rate, slurry density, 
sand to fines ratios (SFR), and mineralogy, etc) and thirdly, minor amounts of bitumen in the oil sand 
tailings reporting to the thickener feed demand special engineering control. This paper provides an overview 
of the development of P&TT technology worldwide in mineral industries and highlights Syncrude’s 
developments of this technology to tackle the specific circumstances of fine oil sand tailings. With 
consideration of the new Oil Sand Tailings Directive released in February 2009, the applicability of P&TT 
technology in the oil sand tailings management framework is assessed.