A presentation at the Alberta Soil Sciences Workshop 2012 in Edmonton AB, by Gabriel Luna Wolter & M. A. Naeth.
Mature fine tailings and petroleum coke are waste products fo the oilsands industry. They can potentially be used in reclamation after oilsands mining. But they also have high concentrations fo sodium, sulphate, chlorine and total extractable hydrocarbons that make them inhospitable for plant growth. A greenhouse study was conducted to to determine whether various mixtures of mature fine tailings, tailings sand, peat mineral mix and coke could be support the growth of three grasses commonly used in land reclamation (ticklegrass, slender wheat grass and rocky mountain fescue).
Slender wheat grass and rocky mountain fescue were the most tolerant to the fine tailings and coke substrates. Plants can survive in coke but the coarse texture and lower water holding capacity may be thre reason for observed lower biomass, plant density and health.
