Stable emulsions are an unavoidable consequence of bitumen oil sands recovery, where bitumen and brine are co-produced. In order to avoid refining complications, emulsions must be broken to reduce brine content before bitumen is upgraded. Knowledge of compounds present at the oil/water interface can help determine the most effective method to break undesirable emulsions. Here, we will isolate interfacial material (IM) from Athabasca bitumen using a novel wet silica method. Isolated IM will be characterized by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS).
