Cath, Tzahi 1
1 Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Treatment of wastewater generated during oil and gas (O&G) exploration and production is critically needed for internal reuse (fracking), environmental protection (before discharge to the environment), and for other advanced reuse applications (irrigation, livestock watering, other industrial uses). Membrane processes provide a good treatment solution for this and other industrial wastewaters because of their relatively small footprint, consistent product water quality, and recent advancement in materials used and energy management/recovery used in membrane systems. Some membranes have very good desalination capabilities (e.g., RO, NF, MD, ED/EDR), but almost all of them require extensive pretreatment to protect the membranes from fouling or scaling associated with the contaminants present in the source water. These pretreatment processes may be physical, chemical, or biological, or a combination thereof, and membranes such as MF, UF, and FO can play a big role in pretreating O&G and other industrial wastewaters.
In this presentation I will provide an overview of desalination processes and pretreatment processes that we have tested in the last 7 years for treatment of O&G wastewater. The advantages, limitations, and research needs will be highlighted, alongside economic and life cycle assessment of some of these processes. Special focus will be on FO, NF, UF (in direct and MBR configurations), and ED.