The cyclodextrin (CD) was applied as an exfoliating agent to extract bitumen from tar sand. The effectiveness of CD as an exfoliating agent was demonstrated by an increase in recovered amounts of bitumen (primary recovery 16.4wt%, total recovery 5.1wt%) compared with that using conventional sodium hydroxide as an exfoliating agent. The optimun experimental conditions to recover bitumen have been investigated. A sedimentation velocity of the clay in the waste fluid was higher with CD than with sodium hydroxide. Effectiveness of CD after repeated used has also been established.
