Alberta: Rich in More Than Just Oil

As the world moves towards a lower-carbon economy, governments have been hard at work identifying minerals which they deem to be ‘critical.’ What is critical to each jurisdiction is subjective, however, and typically considers factors such as importance to the economy, uses in clean technology and decarbonization, national security, geopolitical considerations, and scarcity. 

In Canada, both Ottawa and Alberta have staked their positions on what minerals they deem as critical, with the federal government publishing the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan and the government of Alberta releasing its Minerals Strategy and Action Plan. However, Canada does not have any production of valuable mineral sands such as zircon and titanium, and given current development plans we are unlikely to see new mines producing these minerals in the foreseeable future. The good news is that tailings ponds may hold the key to unlocking critical minerals.

Hidden riches within Canada’s oil sands

It has been well documented in literature that critical heavy minerals are found in Alberta’s oil sands. Production of these critical minerals from oil sands tailings is an opportunity for the industry to diversify and for Canada to become a significant producer of these critical minerals. Today, titanium and zircon are mined primarily in China, South Africa, and Australia.

Tapping into the critical mineral reserves within Alberta’s oil sands tailings would open up immense possibilities without the need to build a new mine. In fact, the titanium and zircon sourced from the oil sands tailings in the Athabasca region have been independently market tested which has confirmed that these Canadian-sourced critical minerals can achieve competitive pricing.

Industrial uses of titanium and zircon

Heavy mineral sands contain concentrations of minerals that are useful for a variety purposes. These minerals are originally derived from igneous or metamorphic rocks that have been broken down, transported, and deposited in beach-like areas. The principal components of heavy mineral sands are titanium, ilmenite, and zircon, with rare earth elements such as monazite. 

Canada has identified titanium as a critical mineral. Titanium is a lightweight, high-strength, low-corrosion metal used as an alloy in steel, and as a superalloy which is critical to the aerospace, medical, chemical, and military industries.

Alberta has identified both titanium and zircon as critical minerals. Zircon is extremely hard and resistant to corrosion, has excellent heat refractory properties, and is essential in the advancement of small modular reactors (SMRs) which will play an important role in Canada’s energy security in the transitioning economy. 

Shovel-ready solutions operators can deploy today

Investments by the Government of Alberta, Government of Canada, the oil sands industry, and the private sector have resulted in an innovative solution to recover critical minerals alongside hydrocarbons and water by reprocessing oil sands froth treatment tailings before being discharged into tailings ponds. Creating Value From Waste (CVW™) recovers and commercializes these valuable commodities, preventing their entry into the environment and abating over 90 per cent of fugitive methane emissions.

After over $100 million in investment and 20 years of development, CVW CleanTech remains the only shovel-ready solution to produce zircon from mineral sands in Canada and add to existing titanium production (currently dependent on a single mine in Quebec). CVW™ has undergone extensive research and development and piloting phases which have advanced the technology to technology readiness level 8 (TRL-8).

Industry-wide deployment of CVW™ would result in about 15 per cent of global zircon and 8 per cent of global titanium production originating from Canada’s oil sands, strictly from reprocessing waste. This would result in production of these minerals at a negative carbon profile and amongst the lowest cost of production globally, given that extractive activities would not be necessary.

Collaboration key to advancing the critical mineral supply

The Canadian oil sands mining operators have invested billions of dollars into projects with the focus on producing oil. The oil sands tailings ponds represent a resource that has the potential to extend the lives of oil sands mining assets and create a new industry for these critical minerals in Canada.

To support the commercialization of technologies such as CVW™, governments must continue to build policies which encourage the recovery of minerals deemed critical, especially where solutions allow critical minerals to be collected through waste reprocessing. Only through collaboration amongst the many relevant stakeholders will Canada’s critical minerals plans succeed.

Canada has many comparative advantages in the mining and resources sector. In addition to holding vast quantities of mineral reserves, both Canada’s capital and labour markets are well versed in mining. The oil sands tailings ponds currently represent a financial and environmental liability which could be transformed into a rich asset with large reserves of critical minerals. 

Although the odds are in Canada’s favour at the outset, it will require forward thinking and strong partnerships between the oil sands mining operators, governments, and clean technology companies to harness the value of our important titanium and zircon resource.