The ADC™ (Accelerated Decontamination) process simultaneously separates the water and asphaltenes from the bitumen emulsion, and produces de-contaminated oil called DCO that is nearly asphaltene-free. The crucial step in ADC™ technology is the application of colloid physics, which enables much faster separation, higher asphaltene removal and higher energy efficiency. ADC™ has the unique feature that it not only tolerates water in the feed, it utilizes the water to enhance the separation process and DCO recovery. This capability offers additional synergistic benefits when ADC™ is integrated with SAGD, the predominant in situ process used for oil sands bitumen recovery, as it eliminates much of the bitumen/water separation processes, and  reduces overall cost and emissions.