The Athabasca oil sands deposits are located in Northern Alberta, Canada. These deposits date back more than 100 million years, cover an area in excess of 30,000 square kilometres, and are one of the largest known accumulations of hydrocarbons in the world.
Heavy minerals have long been known to exist in Alberta's oil sands in minor quantities. These minerals are attracted to bitumen and become greatly concentrated by the oil sands bitumen extraction process. The final stage of bitumen extraction from oil sands occurs in the froth treatment plant. Froth treatment tailings contain the majority of minerals as well as residual bitumen.
Titanium Corporation is developing unique, environmentally friendly technologies to recover heavy minerals, primarily zircon, and a significant portion of bitumen from this tailings stream (the "Oil Sands Project").
An Exciting Opportunity
Titanium Corporation is focusing its technical, engineering and financial resources on the commercialization of its Oil Sands Project for the following reasons:
- Canada's oil sands have a long reserve life.
- The oil recovery process greatly concentrates valuable heavy minerals into a tailings stream, from which Titanium Corporation recovers its products.
- There is opportunity for attractive additional bitumen recovery from the oil sands resource.
- Creation of a new "value-added" industry in Alberta and Canada with potential for increased revenues for stakeholders
- There is no mining involved, only processing of a tailings stream.
- The infrastructure is in place in Alberta.
- There is the potential for reduction of intensity of greenhouse gas emissions (of the oil sands industry) of carbon dioxide CO2 and nitrous oxide NOx.
- There is potential for a large reduction of emissions of volatile organic carbons (VOCs)