a process for producing steam for extracting heavy bitumen includes the steps of mixing carbon or hydrocarbon fuel said fuel being crud oil , vr , asphaltin , or coke with an oxidation gas , said gas being oxygen , oxygen enriched air or air - combusting the mixture under high pressure and high temperature and mixing low quality contaminated water containing organics and inorganic with the combusted mixture so as to control combustion temperature and to generate steam . the liquid phase is transferred to a gas phase so as to contain steam and carbon dioxide . the solids are separated from the gas phase . the super heated dry steam and gas mixture is ejected into an underground reservoir .