Chemistry Weekly Seminar - Dr. Joyce McBeth
Dr. Joyce McBeth, Department of Geological Sciences, will present a seminar at 4:00 p.m. in Thorvaldson 271.
Title:
Geomicrobiology of oil sands fine tailings materials
Abstract:
Oil sands extraction processes generate voluminous fluid fine tailings, which are composed of a mixture of clay minerals and oil sands process water. Microbially-driven processes can influence the broader geochemistry of tailings deposits. Here, I will provide an overview of studies we have conducted to characterize the microbiology and geochemistry of centrifuged fine tailings stored in sub-aerial deposits and fluid fine tailings deposited in an end pit lake. High-throughput amplicon sequencing was used to identify the spatial distribution of microbial populations and pore-water chemistry was characterized to assess geochemical gradients in the tailings materials. These results provide insight into biogeochemical conditions and processes within oil sands tailings deposits, and we are incorporating these results into our conceptual models for tailings deposit biogeochemical cycling.