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AOSTRA-Taciuk
Process (ATP)
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ATP
technology extracts bitumen from surface mining operations through
a dry-retorting process. During this process, oil sand is moved through
a rotating drum, cracking the bitumen with heat and producing lighter
hydrocarbons.
This technology has several advantages including yielding a partially
upgraded product that does not require tailings ponds. This technology
also produces a good yield from lower-grade ore.
ATP is currently being piloted on a commercial basis in an Australian
oil shale operation. If the demonstration plant is successful, the
operation could be scaled up to 85,000 bpd by 2007.
This technology has other commercial applications, including oily
waste treatment. ATP has the capacity to yield an oil-free, safely
disposable residue, as well as recover saleable oil if hydrocarbons
are present in sufficient quantity.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has endorsed this
process. Today, ATP is used at a PCB-contaminated site near Buffalo,
New York, and at the Waukegan Harbor, Illinois where 20,000 tons of
dredged materials from the harbor are to be treated.
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