Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has been widely studied in streams, lakes, and oceans due to its role in biogeochemical processes, allowing it to act as a sunscreen, food source, trace metal chelator, and photosensitizer. Few studies have examined DOM in oilfield-produced water. In this study, three major types of solid-phase extraction (SPE) sorbents, a silica-based sorbent (ENVI-18), an active carbon (ENVI-Carb), and polymer-based sorbents (PPL, XAD resins, and HLB), were used to isolate DOM from oilfield-produced brine. Isolated SPE DOM samples were analyzed using dissolved organic carbon (DOC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Results showed that the oilfield-produced brine DOM sample was dominated by aliphatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds. Nitrogen-containing compounds and carbohydrates were also observed; however, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fatty acids, and sulfur-containing compounds were relatively absent. Under acidic conditions, extraction efficiencies of DOM from oilfield-produced brine were enhanced for different SPE sorbents as follows from high to low: XAD-8/4 tandem, HLB, PPL, ENVI-18, and ENVI-Carb. DOM samples isolated by different sorbents exhibited different properties. ENVI-18 and XAD-4 DOM isolates were enriched in aliphatic hydrocarbons but devoid of aromatic compounds, XAD-8, HLB, and PPL samples contained relatively higher levels of aromatics, and HLB and PPL samples showed a high retention capacity for carbohydrates, while ENVI-Carb and HLB DOM isolates contained more nitrogen compounds than those obtained using other sorbents. In addition, XAD-8 and PPL extracts were characterized by higher concentrations of sulfur-containing compounds. This is the first study of its type to study oilfield-produced brine DOM, and the results will help us better understand their structures and properties.
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