Oil sands mines already concentrate 11.5 % TiO2 and 3.6 % ZrO2 into froth-treatment tailings — a world-scale feedstock with no plant.
Froth-treatment tailings from the Fort McMurray mines contain heavy minerals (ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile, zircon, monazite) concentrated 10–30 times above the ore. Studies put recoverable output at about 220 kt/yr of TiO2 feedstock and 80 kt/yr of zircon from two plants — roughly 6 % and 9 % of world supply at the time. Titanium Corporation (now CVW CleanTech) finished front-end engineering at Horizon in 2019 but no investment decision has followed.
Heavy-mineral (ilmenite, leucoxene, zircon) concentration in bitumen froth tailings · 0–80 m
Heavy minerals naturally concentrated 10–30× in froth treatment tailings streams
Mines already handle 100+ Mt/yr of sand — recovery is a bolt-on circuit
Zircon and TiO2 feedstock markets are tight; prior CVRD / Titanium Corp pilots
Source: Titanium Corporation / Canadian Natural CVW pilot; AGS heavy mineral studies.
DATASETS THAT TEST THE TARGET
Stack these layers on the integrated map
Discriminating datasets first, then every catalogued public dataset tagged to this commodity. Verified endpoints draw directly; link-only entries open the publisher page.
Oil sands projects, schemes & development areas (OASIS)Alberta Energy and Minerals · Infrastructure · drawable · verifiedApproved project footprints — the mines and SAGD schemes whose tailings and produced water host by-product minerals.Source ↗
Surface mineable oil sands (local GeoJSON)Government of Alberta · Mineral tenure · drawable · verifiedOverburden under 75 m: the mining fairway and the froth-tailings heavy-mineral source.Source ↗
Oil sands agreementsAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mineral tenure · drawable · verifiedOil sands rights; nearly all of the Athabasca mineable area is leased.Source ↗
Mineral core & oil sands core locations (AGS)Alberta Geological Survey · Wells · drawable · verifiedPhysical core you can log for heavy minerals, brine chemistry or coal quality without drilling.Source ↗
Metallic mineral occurrences (DIG 2019-0026)Alberta Geological Survey · Mineral occurrences · drawable · verifiedKnown showings to anchor exploration models; density is highest on the Shield and Clear Hills.Source ↗
GrowthSupply-constrained; new SMR fleet adds zirconium demand
By-product REE
Monazite concentrate
—
Strong growthSee rare earths profile
DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS
What the forecasts say
SupplyTwo plants could supply ≈6 % of world TiO2 feedstock and ≈9 % of zircon (2001 basis)OneMine ↗
Key risks
Operator commitment (CNRL)
Thorium in monazite
Capital inflation since 2019
DEVELOPMENT: TENURE, ROYALTY, PERMITTING
What a developer needs to know
Tenure
Under the host oil sands lease; a Metallic & Industrial Minerals lease may be required for non-bitumen minerals (clarify with Alberta Energy).
Royalty
Metallic minerals: 1 % of mine-mouth revenue pre-payout; post-payout the greater of 1 % mine-mouth or 12 % of net revenue (AR 350/93 s.4). Interaction with oil sands royalty on recovered bitumen to be confirmed.