Research reports
Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, or COSIA, is the innovation arm of Pathways Alliance. COSIA members support research in four key environmental priority areas: greenhouse gases, land, water and tailings.
This research report archive is to be used for reference, research or record-keeping purposes only. Reports are not updated after their publication date and may not be relied on as a representation of Pathways Alliance.
2024 Mine & In Situ Research Report
March 2025
This report summarizes progress for projects related to in situ and mine reclamation of the COSIA Land Environmental Priority Area.
2023 Water Mining Research Report
December 2024
This report summarizes progress for research projects that were active in 2023 related to COSIA’s Water Environmental Priority Area (EPA).
COSIA Fall Field Tour 2024 Reclamation Key Learnings and Opportunities
November 2024
This report summarizes key items discussed and opportunities from the 2024 annual fall field tour hosted by the Land Environmental Priority Area (EPA) of COSIA.
2023 COSIA Land EPA – Mine & In Situ Research Report
March 2024
This report summarizes progress for projects related to in situ and mine reclamation of the COSIA Land EPA.
2022 Water Mining Research Report
December 2023
This report summarizes progress for research projects that were active in 2022 related to COSIA’s Water Environmental Priority Area (EPA).
2022 COSIA Land EPA – Mine & In Situ Research Report
March 2023
This report summarizes progress for projects related to in situ and mine reclamation of the COSIA Land EPA.
2022-2023 Tailings Research Report
This report highlights research and technology development in tailings management at various stages of research over 2022-2023.
2021 Tailings Research Report
November 2022
This report highlights some of the recent progress in research and technology development work in tailings management at various stages of research.
2021 COSIA Land EPA – In Situ Research Report
March 2022
This report summarizes progress for projects related to in situ reclamation of the COSIA Land EPA.
Water Management Framework for Oil Sands Mining
February 2022
This document describes a water management framework for the mineable oil sands region, provides rationale to release treated mine water to the environment and explores alternatives to mine water release.
Material and Energy Balance for an Oil Sands Surface Mining and Bitumen Extraction Reference Facility
December 2021
This report provides a description of an oil sands surface mining and bitumen extraction process for prospective technology developers to complete an analysis of their technologies.
2020 Tailings Research Report
August 2021
This report highlights some of the progress and research work in tailings management at various stages of research from the COSIA Tailings Environmental Priority Area (EPA). From literature reviews, laboratory projects, pilot trials to large, field-scale demonstration and commercialization programs.
2020 COSIA Land EPA – Mine Research Report
April 2021
This report summarizes progress for projects related to mine site reclamation of the COSIA Land EPA.
Pit Lakes: A Surface Mining Perspective
April 2021
This document provides information about pit lakes as reclamation features in the closure landscape for oil sands mining.
2020 COSIA Land EPA – In Situ Research Report
March 2021
This report summarizes progress for projects related to in situ reclamation of the COSIA Land EPA.
2019 Tailings Research Report
August 2020
This is the second summary report from the COSIA Tailings Environmental Priority Area (EPA). It highlights some of the progress and research work in tailings management at various stages of research—from literature reviews, laboratory projects, pilot trials and to large, field-scale demonstration and commercialization programs.
2018 Tailings Research Report
April 2019
This report summarizes research projects from the COSIA Tailings Environmental Priority Area. The research projects summarized in this report are categorized into four principal research areas: tailings capping, tailings treatment technologies, froth treatment tailings, and consolidation modelling.
COSIA SAGD Reference Facilities
August 16, 2018
The purpose of this report is to help technology vendors become more familiar with steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) operations.
FFT Management
June 2018
This report uses generic models to examine the relative impacts of different fluid fine tailings management processes to help understand the benefits and impacts of the different methods.
For Innovators
Canada’s largest oil sands companies identify challenges in their operations. We help innovators—academics, researchers, start-ups, inventors and others—advance promising solutions that can reduce environmental impacts in those areas.