During froth treatment and environmental management processing, a small number of hydrocarbons are lost to tailings, especially from a Tailings Solvent Recovery Unit (TSRU), known as TSRU tailings. And some of the residual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the tailings are discharged into the atmosphere, which pollutes the air, soil, and groundwater. Besides, understanding the factors that affect the release of VOCs from tailings would promote oil sands design and environmental management. The fate of VOCs in TSRU tailings is studied by employing detailed kinetics models. A new batch experimental setup verified the release model of VOCs and the model predicts the experimental results appropriately. Furthermore, the feasibility of reducing the emission of the VOCs in the tailings was discussed by optimizing the performance of TSRU, and the sensitivity is analyzed. The simulation results also show that the temperature and pressure during the VOCs release process of tailing have a significant influence on the solvent recovery. The results showed that the higher the tailings pressure, the greater the pentane volatilization and the higher the temperature, and the less pentane residue in TSRU tailings. For example, the solvent release rate at 80 degrees C is about five times higher that at 50 degrees C. (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.