Abstract
Oil exploration waste, also called produced water, contains hazardous pollutants, such as benzene; benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX); naphthalene, phenanthrene, and dibenzothiophene (NDP); polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); and phenol. Produced water is characterized by high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and oil content, which exceed the standard limits of regulation. In this study, the combination of ultrafiltration (UF) and ozone pre-treatment and post-treatment were applied for treatment of produced water to minimize its environmental impact. Produced water and membrane were characterized, and their ultrafiltration performance for removal of oil content, benzene, toluene, xylene, and COD. Two commercial Polyethersulfone membranes, with molecular-weight cut-off values of 10 and 20 kDa, were used. The membrane flux profile illustrated that ozone pre-treatment had higher normalized flux than UF only. Separation performance was evaluated based on flux profile and removal of COD, oil and grease content, toluene, and xylene. Significant finding was found where the combination of UF with ozone pre-treatment and post-treatment could significantly eliminate COD, oil content, toluene, and xylene. The rejection of these components was found higher than conventional process, which was in the range of 80 % to 99 %. In addition, almost oil and grease can be removed by using this combined system. Permeate quality of this system confirmed the acceptable level as water discharge.
Highlights
Oil explorations are the primary source of energy, and their corresponding activities generate a large volume of oilfield wastewater, referred as produced water
The present study mainly aims to investigate the performance of ultrafiltration in treating produced water, in filtering BTX pollutants
4 Conclusion The quality of produced water was examined based on oil and grease content as well as chemical oxygen demand (COD), which were found to be higher than the standard limit of wastewater for oil and gas activities
Summary
Oil explorations are the primary source of energy, and their corresponding activities generate a large volume of oilfield wastewater, referred as produced water. For each barrel of oil, three barrels of produced water are generated [1]. Produced water is reused to enhance oil recovery or treated prior to discharge into the environment. Produced water comprises various organic and inorganic substances, which are potentially characterized as hazardous and toxic wastes. Produced water compound is categorized as organic substance, inorganic substance, and radionucleotide. Produced water contains some important compounds, such as dissolved and dispersed oil compounds, dissolved formation minerals, production chemical compounds, production solids, and dissolved gases [2]. BTEX and phenols are dissolved in water. Residual chemicals, such as corrosion and scale inhibitors, emulsion breakers, and biocides, are present in produced water [4]
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