Rare earth elements in drill cutting samples from off-shore oil and gas exploration activities in ultradeep waters

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential in high technology industries and have great economic value. The monitoring of REEs concentrations in rocks from oil well drill cuttings is critical to avoid environmental contamination and evaluate new sources of these elements. However, information is scarce about the REEs concentrations in drill cuttings. In this work, the concentration of REEs in drill cuttings from oil and gas exploration wells in ultradeep coastal water of Brazilian were investigated at different depths. The drill cutting samples were submitted to microwave-assisted acid digestion prior to the determination of concentration by ICP-MS, using Rh as internal standard for calibration. The limits of quantification (LoQ) ranged from 3.3 μg kg−1 for Ho to 198 μg kg−1 for Sm. The accuracy was evaluated by analyzing certified reference materials for rocks. The obtained REEs concentrations agreed with the certified values, reaching 83%–105% agreement. The drill cutting depth profile analysis indicates Ce, La, Nd, Sm, and Eu concentrations up to mg kg−1. The REEs concentrations obtained in drill cutting depth profile was analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) identified tendency and similarity between drill cutting samples. Three groups were formed according to the composition of the REEs. In addition, the concentration of these chemicals elements varied at different depths. The analysis of drill cuttings revealed REEs concentrations up to the mg per kg-range (ppm), potentially making this disposable material an alternative source for REEs extraction, and adding value to this material.