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New research centre will seek ways to reduce water use in oil sands
| Edmonton, AB,
February 27, 2007
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Water use in oil sands development is currently a significant concern for
Albertans and Canadians, particularly as the industry develops and grows over
the next 20 years. An innovative research centre at the University of Alberta
is poised to tackle this issue through a new partnership with Imperial Oil and
Alberta Ingenuity.
The Imperial Oil-Alberta Ingenuity Centre
for Oil Sands Innovation’s mandate is to find more efficient, economically
viable, and environmentally responsible ways to develop Canada's oil-sands
resources, one of the largest crude oil deposits in the world. The Centre will
be led by Dr. Murray Gray, Scientific Director.
The Imperial
Oil-Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Oil Sands Innovation expects to invest over
$15 million in research over the next five years, and recruit more than 50
faculty, graduate students, and researchers. The Centre will encourage
interdisciplinary research and apply the emerging tools of nanotechnology to
the oil sands.
“This is exactly how the ingenuity of
Albertans like Dr. Gray will be felt. He is taking on problems that are
crucial to Alberta – the oil sands and our limited water supply – but that
also have impact around the world,” says Dr. Peter Hackett, President and CEO
of Alberta Ingenuity.
“At Imperial Oil, we strongly believe
that investing in research and innovation is of critical importance to
satisfying increasing energy needs, all the while meeting increasing
environmental expectations. We share the commitment of the University of
Alberta and have long recognized that research and technology is the key to
developing Alberta's oil sands,” said Randy Broiles, Senior Vice-president,
Resources Division, Imperial Oil.
“I congratulate our
partners Imperial Oil and Alberta Ingenuity for their generosity and their
foresight in the creation of the Centre and in sponsoring Dr. Gray. This is a
tangible demonstration of our partners’ commitment to innovation and
confidence in our joint ability to manage Alberta’s oil sands resource
investment wisely well into the future,” said Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng., Dean,
Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta.
In addition to
evaluating the use of non-aqueous solvents to separate and extract bitumen
from oil sands, research activity this year will also focus on bitumen
extraction and upgrading projects. One of the projects involves
nanotechnology, where technologies are scaled down to a minute scale by
modifying the structure of catalysts. The use of nano-structured materials
holds promise to both reduce energy requirements and improve operating
efficiencies in bitumen upgrading.
Imperial Oil Limited
has been a leading member of the Canadian energy industry for more than 125
years. One of the largest producers of crude oil and natural gas liquids and a
major producer of natural gas, the company is also Canada's largest refiner
and marketer of petroleum products, sold primarily under the Esso and Mobil
brands, and a major producer of petrochemicals.
The
Alberta Ingenuity Fund supports science and engineering research of the
highest calibre to create a strong and prosperous future for the province. It
draws funding from a $1 billion endowment established by the Government of
Alberta to build the capacity for innovation in areas with enduring social and
economic impact.
The University of Alberta's Faculty
of Engineering is among North America's leading engineering research and
teaching centres, currently recruiting 100 new academics. For further
information on the Faculty, visit
www.engineering.ualberta.ca.
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