TRONA (MINERAL GRADE SODIUM-CARBONATE) AS A PROCESS AID FOR THE HOT-WATER PROCESS

Trona is a mineral which contains over 90% of a mixture of sodium carb onate and bicarbonate. It is a raw material used in the production of sodium-containing substances. The batch extraction test results showed that the processibility curves obtained using trona as the process ai d for The recovery of Athabasca bitumen from mined oil sands using the hot water process were similar to those for sodium carbonate. To achi eve an optimum recovery similar to that by sodium hydroxide, it requir ed a dosage of trona three to four times that of sodium hydroxide. How ever, since trona is much cheaper than sodium hydroxide and chemical g rade alkalines, it makes a promising substitute for sodium hydroxide i n the hot water process.