That Dr. Haneef Mian lists “cleaner bitumen production” amongst his research interests says a lot about how he’ll approach his new job.

As the new Ledcor Group Applied Research Chair in Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability, Mian (pictured above) believes environmentally sustainable, cleaner energy production – particularly in oil sands mining – is possible through science, engineering and, most importantly, collaboration among oil sands companies, First Nations and Aboriginal Peoples, regulators and government.

He’s already made a considerable contribution to that goal.

Since completing his doctorate in geo-environmental engineering, Mian has worked in the environmental consulting industry and served as a member of the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), where he was part of the expert review panel for Total E&P Canada’s Joslyn North mine project and also helped develop vital oil sands tailings management regulation.

Now, he and his team of NAIT scientists, engineers and business professionals – supported by a $1.5-million investment by the Ledcor Group (matched by NAIT) – will partner with small and medium-sized businesses and oil sands operators, as well as with regulators, government and other stakeholders.

Together, they’ll develop solutions for real challenges to sustainable oil sands development. Using the principles of green chemistry and engineering, they’ll address the water use, tailings management and land reclamation issues that the industry currently faces.

Here, Mian explains what might be possible for the Alberta oil sands by coupling research with hands-on expertise.

Techlife: What interested you in taking this position?

Dr. Haneef Mian: I’ve been involved with oil sands work for several years now and, having seen the challenges innovators face in moving their technology to the field, I saw the potential that applied research holds for implementing new solutions. A program like this, focused on applied, solution-based research for tackling environmental challenges, was very appealing to me.

We’re bridging the gap between the universities and other fundamental research institutes and technology implementation. The Ledcor Chair is about sustainable research and development – and addressing environmental issues through hands-on work to develop promising fundamental concepts into cost-effective, real-world solutions.

Some people consider the oil sands and environmental sustainability to be mutually exclusive.

I understand the sentiment but disagree.

Oil sands emit just five per cent of Canada’s carbon dioxide, or about 0.1 per cent of the world total. Our carbon footprint in the oil sands is nowhere near the carbon footprint of, say, the coal-fired power plants in the U.S. Yes, there is an environmental impact. That’s why the provincial and federal regulators conduct a robust environmental hearing process for each oil sands application.

People say there are a lot of environmental issues associated with oil sands but my answer to that is, that’s what engineering and science is there for – to find solutions to those issues and challenges. And that’s why we are here.

What exactly is “cleaner bitumen production”?

We are going to use green chemistry and green engineering principles to approach the environmental challenges associated with the oil sands. That’s not just end-of-pipe solutions, but a cradle-to-grave approach to anything that we do.

Cleaner bitumen, from that perspective, is cleaner energy production and much more efficient bitumen mining by addressing the environmental impact, whether it is on air, water or land.

What are green chemistry and green engineering?

Green chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances and do so with less energy consumed. It is safer and cheaper.

And green engineering is the design, development and commercialization of industrial processes and products that are economically feasible while minimizing the risk to human health.

How will your relationship as Ledcor Chair work with industry members?

One way would be by putting together an industry consortium. We will facilitate a collaboration of complementary companies to discuss practical problems they face in their operations. We can bring in NAIT experts, business leaders and even international green chemistry and green engineering experts to engage in those issues with the oil sands industry. 

We’ll also offer early scale-up work, prototype development, demonstration projects, and development of measurement and monitoring equipment. Given that we have full-time researchers focused on developing solutions we will also have reasonable turnaround times, which is very different from a university setting where graduate students require much longer timelines.

As a new entrant into oil sands research we don’t claim to have the solution. But we are very confident we can be part of it, enhancing and enabling others’ innovations and solving operational challenges.

Will you only work with large companies?

Through NAIT we have access to a number of small and medium-sized businesses that have ideas for technologies for improving the environmental sustainability of the oil sands but don’t have the resources to get those ideas implemented. We would test and validate their ideas for them and see if those could be brought to the major players in the oil sands industry.

What will be your relationship with government?

We’ll also work on issues that will inform policy and regulation. For example, suppose water quality guidelines do not exist or other regulations are not yet fully developed. We may take on work that could be driven by any government institute to understand the implications of certain chemicals to receiving waters, such as the Athabasca River.

There’s a positive message of sustainability Alberta needs to tell the world about the oil sands. How do you feel the Ledcor Chair can contribute to that?

At the end of the day, I believe the province and the oil sands industry are trying their best to address environmental issues, to focus on cleaner energy production and on water, land, air and biodiversity issues. That’s what my program will focus on as well. We are going to help show the world that Alberta is an energy technology champion and a responsible global environmental citizen.