Disposal Costs Research Articles

Recycling the discharged soil from EPBS tunnels as a soil conditioner and its rheological behaviors

Earth pressure balance shield (EPBS) has become the mainstream construction method for metro tunnels in China, which inevitably generates a large amount of discharged soil, putting enormous pressure on the environment and the cost. In order to realize the resource utilization of shield dregs, this paper explored the feasibility of recycling the waste silty clay as a soil conditioner in EPBS tunnel construction. Mixtures of bentonite, wasted silty clay, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and tap water in different ratios were prepared. Defining the substituted ratio as the mass ratio of silty clay to (bentonite + silty clay), the effect of the substituted ratio on the apparent viscosity, flow curve, rheological model and physical stability of bentonite-silty clay composite slurry were investigated. Furthermore, the relationship between slurry microstructures and macroscopic rheological properties was revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the constitutive relationship of bentonite slurry (0% substituted ratio) can be well described by Herschel-Bulkley model. The silty clay has a deteriorating effect on the rheological behavior and physical stability, and changes the flow pattern of the composite slurry. Microscopically, CMC makes the clay particles in slurries form agglomerates with larger particle sizes, and can absorb excess free water from the slurry, thus significantly increasing the yield stress and apparent viscosity. The recycling scheme proposed in this study can not only greatly reduce the procurement cost of raw materials, but also eliminate the transportation and disposal costs of discharged soil, which has significant environmental benefits and promising application prospects.

Double-edged circularity: Comparative assessment of circular and non-circular consumers

Circular consumption and disposal practices by consumers are increasingly viewed as more than just a current necessity. Nonetheless, the impacts of the marketing mix perception on perceived value, purchase intention, and circular purchase behavior and the impact of perceived risk on purchase intention and circular purchase behavior remain underexplored separately for circular and non-circular consumers. Similarly, few empirical studies have examined factors that affect circular disposal. Therefore, this study seeks to bridge these research voids and proposes a conceptual model with ten related research hypotheses. We collected data from 558 circular and 595 non-circular consumers in India. The structural equation modeling approach was employed to assess the strength of the proposed hypotheses separately for both consumer groups. The results confirm the positive impact of the marketing mix perception on purchase intention and self-reported purchase behavior for both consumer groups. Notably, the positive impact of the marketing mix perception on self-reported purchase behavior was found significant only for circular consumers. Moreover, the impact of purchase intention on self-reported purchase behavior was found insignificant for non-circular consumers. The results support the negative impact of perceived risks on both consumer groups' perceived value and purchase intentions. Lastly, the results reveal that circular disposal is positively impacted by self-reported purchase behavior and disposal convenience, and negatively impacted by disposal costs. However, the extent of these impacts varies significantly between circular and non-circular consumers. These results have important managerial implications for aligning non-circular consumers' perceptions, purchase intentions, and purchase and disposal behaviors toward circular products with those of circular consumers.

Effect of Microwave-Assisted CO2 Pyrolysis on the Production of Activated Carbon from Confiscated Cigarettes

Confiscated cigarettes are a significant problem worldwide, and in Malaysia, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD) Perlis had confiscated 1.5 billion sticks of cigarettes from 2016 to 2019 and the cost of disposal reached RM1.2 billion. Confiscated cigarettes are commonly disposed by incineration which can cause environmental pollution. In this study, the cigarette tobacco was converted into activated carbon (AC) via microwave-assisted CO2 pyrolysis. The tobacco was first carbonized at 300℃, followed by carbon dioxide (CO2) activation under microwave heating. The highest yield, 31% was obtained at 616W for 6 min. The BET surface area for tobacco, char and the best AC produced were 1.99, 1.21 and 1.69 m2/g, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) of dye removal from AC showed that the optimum condition with the best adsorption properties was achieved at 364 Watt for 2 minutes, which resulted in 87.4% removal of methylene blue (MB). Due to the low surface area, the capability of the AC to adsorb MB dye might be assisted by a diversified factors that contributes to the adsorption mechanism. Modelling of the adsorption data also showed that the adsorption process occurs in multilayers of the adsorbent, best fit to the Freundlich isotherm. Microwave-assisted CO2 pyrolysis shows potential in the production of AC from tobacco and could be further improved to increase the surface area.

Corporate Financial Attributes and Waste Disposal Cost Disclosure of Listed Industrial Goods Companies in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of corporate financial attributes on waste disposal cost disclosure (WDCD) of listed industrial goods companies in Nigeria from 2013-2020. A sample of ten (10) companies listed as industrial goods using census sampling technique was drawn from the population of thirteen (13) companies. Audited annual reports and accounts were used for data extraction. The analysis was done using descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Explanatory research design was adopted in the study to find out the impact of corporate financial attributes on WDCD. Variables used include firm size, leverage, ROA and sales growth and WDCD measured using ordinal coding scheme based on GRI guidelines (G4). Robustness tests such as multicollinearity test, heteroscedasticity test, normality test and Hausman specification test were conducted to validate the results. The study revealed that there is negative significant relationship between FSIZE, LEV, SGWRT and WDCD while negative insignificant relationship between ROA and WDCD of listed industrial goods companies. The study therefore, recommends that the federal government of Nigeria should make WDCD mandatory especially among industrial good companies considering the nature of their activities polluting the environment. This can be done by making environmental reporting as part of the requirements for listing companies on the floor of Nigerian stock exchange.

Emergency material reserve problem with option contract considering low carbon disposal cost

Emergency material reserve problem with option contract considering low carbon disposal cost

A system dynamics approach for large-scale water treatment plant sludge management: A case study in Brazil

A simulation model for water treatment plant sludge management was proposed, based on the system dynamics approach. This model can be extended to the sludge management of a sanitation system (WTP + WWTP). The model is useful for the selection of the best destination for the sludge generated in treatment plants based on the various changes that a decision can have throughout the operation of the sanitation system. The applicability of the proposed model was tested in a case study of WTPs 3 and 4 and the Anhumas Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Campinas, the main city of the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí river basin, an important area of water resource management in Brazil. The developed model can be used by treatment plants to: select the best final destination option according to treatment technologies; select the best location for final disposal, considering transport, disposal and storage costs; verify the influence on treatment costs to adapt to a pre-defined final destination for joint management; or compare beneficial disposal costs with landfill disposal costs. The model was developed to allow for gradual increase in acceptance of the residue over time. By establishing this variable, slightly lower final costs were observed in the scenario of sending the sludge with aluminum coagulant to ceramic industries, compared to sending it to landfill, in the case study used for model development. Despite the interesting results, these values should be considered only indicative. Therefore, it can be stated that the major challenge to using the SD model is the accurate and appropriate data collection for correct simulation, as well as its historical series, for accurate evaluation of the viability of the model. The proposed simulation methods showed greater sensitivity to treatment costs, highlighting the importance of beneficial use of the proposed sludge to the technologies employed for water and sludge treatment.

Single-use versus reusable ancillaries for dual mobility cup in total hip replacement. A prospective randomized short-term safety and feasibility comparison

BackgroundSingle-use (SU) ancillaries for cup preparation in total hip arthroplasty (THR) aim to reduce the costs of hip replacement surgery. These devices have been recently introduced, but their safety and feasibility have not been studied. Therefore, we performed a prospective randomized study aiming to assess the impact in our department of using these SU ancillaries versus standard reusable ancillaries for dual mobility THR regarding 1) the cost, 2) operative time, 3) quality of primary fixation. HypothesisWe hypothesized that the use of SU ancillaries for acetabular preparation would reduce maintenance costs, and so optimise the operating procedure, reduce the overall cost of surgery, save time, while maintaining the same quality of prosthesis fitting. MethodWe conducted a randomised, controlled, open-label, two-arm, single-centre, prospective therapeutic trial with a medico-economic objective. Inclusions were made prospectively from patients hospitalised and surgically managed in our department for arthrosis over 18 years old treated with dual mobility THR. ResultsIn the current study, 18/20 (90%) of the cases required the use of one SU reamer when using SU ancillaries. Only two cases (10%) required a second SU reamer (without SU failure regarding the acetabular implant) because there was too much subchondral bone left and not enough cancellous bone allowing correct cup fitting. We also found that the test implant supplied in the SU kit had a less secure press-fit than the reusable metal test implants. There was one of primary press-fit failure in the SU group requiring a different cup with additional screws. The estimated cost to the supplier per procedure was 20,105 euros using single-use reamers versus 26,666 euros using conventional ancillary kits, a saving of 6561 euros (p<0.001). For the healthcare institution, the median price per intervention on the differentiating points was 2648 euros versus 2580 euros, with no significant difference (p=0.297). The results show an average societal cost of 52,199 euros using single-use and 53,572 euros using reusable ancillary equipment, with a significant difference between the two groups (p<0.003). The average cost of Healthcare Risk Waste (HCRW) disposal in the SU group was 5.2 euros per intervention against 5.1 euros in the RU group, without significant difference (p=0.910). We found a similar result for the cost of disposal of non-HCRW waste per procedure: 0.37 euros in the SU group versus 0.34 in the RU group, without significant difference (p=0.345). ConclusionSU ancillaries significantly reduce the table set up time and have the potential to facilitate time and cost savings but further research is needed in this direction. Our study shows that the daily workload, operating times, and the number of boxes of instruments to be sterilised are decreased. The associated environmental gain is significant. Nevertheless, the economic promise of these SU ancillaries is only partially supported in this trial owing to the small number of patients. Further work will be needed to obtain a more powerful medico-economic assessment of this promising ancillary product. Level of evidenceII; prospective randomized study.

Study on statistical indicators of economic loss of major chemical accidents

AbstractThis paper summarizes the economic loss caused by chemical accidents in China, as well as the outstanding problems that need to be urgently solved. The affected parties of a major chemical accident are personnel, property, resources, the environment, and the social economy from the perspective of an accident target and emergency management. Economic losses of each type of accidental target include property losses, emergency disposal costs, and recovery/reconstruction costs. Based on this idea, a statistical system composed of 12 indicators for economic losses of major chemical accidents is established. The new statistical indicator of economic loss of major chemical accidents is more reasonable than the current statistical method of China's GB 6721‐86 “Standard,” and can fully reflect the harm due to major chemical accidents.

Towards sustainable use of foundry by-products: Evaluating the compressive strength of green concrete containing waste foundry sand using hybrid biogeography-based optimization with artificial neural networks

Waste foundry sand (WFS) is known as the main waste material of foundry industries, and its disposal cost and environmental threats have become one of the major challenges in many countries. To promote the reuse of WFS, it can be utilized as a partial substitute for fine aggregates in concrete technology, which reduces disposal costs, adverse environmental effects, and the need to extract natural aggregates. The aim of this study is to predict the compressive strength of concrete containing WFS (CCWFS) using an innovative hybrid technique i.e. biogeography-based optimization (BBO) assisted by an artificial neural network (ANN) as an affordable alternative to minimize the reliance on experimental activities. To develop the proposed model, a comprehensive database (340 mix designs) including effective parameters on the compressive strength of CCWFS is compiled from the open literature. The architectural structure of the proposed model and its performance evaluation were analyzed by a variety of statistical indicators. The results indicated the potential for reliable performance of the proposed BBO-ANN model in predicting the compressive strength of CCWFS. Finally, to validate the proposed model, a comparison was made with results of five recent studies with different prediction models, in which our findings indicate that the proposed BBO-ANN model offers by far the best performance in predicting the compressive strength of CCWFS compared to the other ones. This study provides new insights into applying the hybrid predictive technique that can help future research to predict properties of green concrete containing waste materials more accurately.

Development of Circular Economy in Modern Conditions

Abstract The concept of a circular economy in the world arose in response to growing consumption and, as a result, to the accumulation of a mass of waste that cannot be quickly processed in the natural environment and has a harmful effect on the environment. The introduction of a circular economy along with the modernization of production will provide Ukrainian society with double benefits. First, the reuse of already consumed resources allows you to obtain significant benefits both in terms of savings in their purchase and in reducing the costs of waste disposal. Secondly, the burden on the environment is reduced and the problems of waste disposal are solved, which positively affects the country’s ecosystem. The essence and types of decoupling as a strategic basis for the development of the green economy are analyzed. The actualization of the use of decoupling for Ukraine in the context of highlighting issues of its environmental and economic security is shown. Calculations of the integral decoupling factor for Ukraine were carried out. Based on the results of the calculations, conclusions were made regarding the effectiveness of the system of nature management and management of the socio-economic development of the state, directions for solving problems and prospects for further research were determined. The conducted analysis made it possible to draw conclusions that at this stage of economic development there is an urgent need to transition to an inclusive and circular economy. The results of the conducted research can be used in the development of the strategy of green economy and sustainable development of countries.

Iso-propyl caprylate and iso-propyl linolenate synthetic fluids as novel alternatives in deep-water drilling operations: Critical fluid properties and aerobic biodegradability assessments

Present drilling fluids for deep water wells have severe degenerative effect on the environment with high operational and disposal costs. Thus, making them less desirable in recent times. Ester synthetic drilling fluid provides a novel environmentally friendly alternative but conventional ester-based drilling fluids exhibit high viscosities in deep-water wells causing excessive equivalent circulating density (ECD) and increased risk of lost circulation owing to narrow mud density window. This study experimentally investigates the critical fluid properties and aerobic biodegradability potentials of two newly developed deep-water synthetic ester drilling fluids namely: iso-propyl caprylate (COIPE) and iso-propyl linolenate (LOIPE) synthetic fluids and their comparison with synthetic-paraffin (SP-SBF) and isomerized-olefin (IO-SBF) synthetic hydrocarbon fluids. The esters of iso-propyl caprylate and iso-propyl linolenate were produced from the isolation of ester mixtures that were obtained from the homogeneous catalytic transesterification of coconut and linseed plant oil biomass respectively. The COIPE was isolated from the coconut oil iso-propyl ester mixture by low-pressure fractional distillation technique. While fractional distillation and crystallization were used to isolate the LOIPE ester from the linseed oil iso-propyl ester mixture. Meanwhile, the aerobic biodegradation investigation was conducted by a modified oxygen consumption respirometry technique. The GC-MS analysis of the COIPE and LOIPE showed that the former contains essentially of lower saturated carbon compounds (C8). Whereas the latter contains higher molecular weight and unsaturated carbon compounds (C18+). The COIPE and LOIPE kinematic viscosity values are in good agreement with that of the reference synthetic hydrocarbon fluid samples (SP-SBF and IO-SBF). Although, the COIPE synthetic ester has lower viscosity value owing to the presence of shorter chain and saturated carbon atoms (C8 esters). Similarly, the linolenic oil iso-propyl ester has excellent cold flow characteristics for deep-water well drilling owing to lower values of cloud and pour points as a result of higher concentration of poly-unsaturated linolenic esters. The iso-propyl caprylate and the iso-propyl linolenate ester synthetic fluids are readily biodegradable in the sea water inoculum under aerobic condition. However, the iso-propyl caprylate is inherently biodegradable because its degradation level and that of the reference chemical sample were already above 60% during the 10-day window period. The SP-SBF and the IO-SBF synthetic fluids have lower aerobic biodegradation values because they contain little quantity of poly aromatic hydrocarbons as evident in their GC-MS profiles. Finally, esters and unsaturated synthetic-based fluid are more rapidly biodegradable than paraffinic synthetic fluids and the rate of biodegradation of organic compounds decreases as molecular weight increases

Reducing abnormal expenses in national health insurance based on a control chart and decision tree-driven define, measure, analyze, improve and control process.

This study examined the cost of medical insurance for "sepsis" treatment in Taiwan. We applied statistical tests, cost control charts, and C5.0 decision trees using the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) process to mine data on Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs) and clinics that reported expense anomalies and disposal costs. Analyzing 353 valid samples (application fees) from four DRGs, 70 clinics, and 15 input variables, abnormalities in application fees for adults (age ≧18years old) with comorbidities or complications was significant (95% confidence interval) in one DRG and nine clinics. Four input variables (ward charge, treatment fee, laboratory fee, and pharmaceutical service charge) had a significant impact. Improvements or controls should be prioritized for three clinics (Nos. 49, 44, and 14) and two input variables (treatment and laboratory fees). This model can be replicated to ascertain excess medical expenditures and improve the efficiency of medical resource use.

Removal efficacy of toxic metals in leachate through micro-organisms isolated from the natural environment

Landfill leachate is a serious contaminant for groundwater and surface water because of its potentially toxic metal content. In many countries, leachate is discharged into the natural environment without treatment because of the high disposal cost. However, this environmental problem can be solved by microorganisms, as they can adsorb the contaminants or convert them into end products, and this is cost-effective. This study focused on determining bacteria capable of efficiently removing toxic metals from leachates. Therefore, bacteria were isolated from nature that have a high adsorption and resistance capacity to a number of toxic metals. This potential was achieved by Enterobacter hormaechei, Priestia aryabhattai, and Mycobacterium sacrum, among others. Their efficiency in removing toxic metals compared to raw leachate was Cd (78%, 67%, 78%), Ni (64%, 57%, 56%), Pb (99%, 75%, 76%), Cr (41%, 46%,19%), Co (45%, 60%, 40%), and Cu (80%, 80%, 60%), respectively. According to the results, these bacterial strains proved to be very effective in the treatment of toxic metals from leachate. Therefore, they are good candidates for the treatment of wastewater by bioremedial methods.

Penerapan Akuntansi Manajemen Lingkungan Dalam Operasional Rumah Sakit Swasta di Kabupaten Gresik

Penerapan Akuntansi Manajemen Lingkungan Dalam Operasional Rumah Sakit Swasta di Kabupaten Gresik

Optimal pricing and donation policy for fresh goods

This paper studies a socially responsible food-retailer’s operational planning problem for a continuously deteriorating inventory over two periods with the consideration of donation and quality-sensitive customers. Each year, millions of tonnes of food are wasted causing economic, environmental, and social misfortunes, while at the same time millions are undernourished. Besides expired items, edible foods are often deliberately disposed of to attract quality-sensitive consumers. We address this issue by presenting an optimization model that incorporates a retailer’s corporate social responsibility act, in the form of charitable donations, and makes use of the internet of things (IoT)-enabled condition tracking technologies to accurately estimate the effective (true) quality of the goods and its impacts on consumer demand. We formulate a quality-dependent newsvendor problem (QDNP) to determine the stocking quantity and the regular price of the goods at the beginning of the selling season, and the second-period price and donation policy at the end of the first period. The optimal donation policy at the end of the first period depends on the quality (time to expiration), on-hand inventory, and donation reward. Moreover, for a given inventory level, expected food waste is always greater in the absence of donations. QDNP outperforms the no-donation model, particularly when the uncertainty is high and/or the length of the second period is short. Interestingly, the two models react to an increase in uncertainty oppositely: QDNP orders more to alleviate future shortages, whereas, no-donation policy orders less to avoid future disposal costs at the end of the selling season.

Research on low density polyethylene (LDPE), recycled by advanced thermal analysis (DSC, TG)

This article presents the issue of recycling and maintaining the processing properties of materials made of plastics. For this purpose, samples from recycled, low-density, polyethylene were tested. The impact of the use of dyes and surface printing on the lifecycles of material and its quality was examined. For this purpose, an analysis was carried out using differential scanning calorimetry and thermos-gravimetry. It was found that the use of dyes may affect the quality of the material and increase the disposal costs of pre-used materials.

Construction and demolition waste disposal charging scheme design

AbstractConstruction and demolition waste disposal charging is a critical component in construction waste (CW) management. Over the past few decades of implementation around the world, the effectiveness of waste disposal charging in decreasing negative environmental impact is gradually being questioned. This paper identifies two intertwined issues that have not attracted sufficient attention in actual practice. One is the consideration of contractors’ behavior, which is economically driven. Another is the influence of waste transportation, which is also a major stream of environmental pollution. These two aspects significantly affect the effectiveness of the waste disposal charging scheme. Contractors may not transport their generated CW to appropriate disposal facilities. They make decisions based on the disposal and transportation cost. To address this problem, this paper proposes a general construction and demolition waste disposal charging design methodology in which contractors’ behavior and the influence of waste transportation are taken into account. A mixed‐integer programming model is developed for the optimal design of the charging fees, which analytically formulates both of the abovementioned aspects. Furthermore, we developed a model that partially modifies the current charging scheme to better fulfill the environmental protection objective. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed methodology can effectively change contractors’ waste disposal decisions and significantly decrease the negative environmental impact of construction and demolition waste. This study contributes to a new perspective to better design the construction and demolition waste disposal charging scheme and has a wide range of applicability.

The Development and Validation of a Predictive Model for Voriconazole-Related Liver Injury in Hospitalized Patients in China.

Voriconazole is widely used in the treatment and prevention of invasive fungal diseases. Common drug-induced liver injuries increase the economic burdens and the risks of premature drug withdrawal and disease recurrence. This study estimated the disposal cost of voriconazole-related liver injury, explored the risk factors of voriconazole-related liver injury in hospitalized patients, and established a predictive model of liver injury to assist clinicians and pharmacists in estimating the probability or risk of liver injury after voriconazole administration to allow for early identification and intervention in patients at high risk of liver injury. A retrospective study was conducted on the selected inpatients whose blood concentration of voriconazole was measured in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University from September 2016 to June 2020. The incidence and disposal cost of voriconazole-related liver injuries were calculated. The incidence of voriconazole-related liver injury was 15.82% (217/1372). The disposal cost has been converted to 2023 at a discount rate of 5%. The median (P25, P75) disposal cost of severe liver injury (n = 42), general liver injury (n = 175), and non-liver injury (n = 1155) was 993.59 (361.70, 1451.76) Chinese yuan, 0.00 (0.00, 410.48) yuan, and 0.00 (0.00, 0.00) yuan, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Single factor analysis and multiple factor logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of voriconazole-related liver injury. The voriconazole-related liver injury was related to the trough concentration (Cmin, OR 1.099, 95% CI 1.058-1.140), hypoproteinemia (OR 1.723, 95% CI 1.126-2.636), and transplantation status (OR 0.555, 95% CI 0.325-0.948). The prediction model of liver injury was Logit (P)= -2.219 + 0.094 × Cmin + 0.544 × Hydroproteinemia - 0.589 × Transplantation, and the prediction model nomogram was established. The model validation results showed that the C-index of the derivation set and validation set was 0.706 and 0.733, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.705 and 0.733, respectively, indicating that the model had good prediction ability. The prediction model will be helpful to develop clinical individualized medication of voriconazole and to identify and intervene in the cases of patients at high risk of voriconazole-related liver injury early on, in order to reduce the incidence of voriconazole-related liver injuries and the cost of treatment.

Обеспечение средствами индивидуальной защиты работников предприятий транспортной сферы

Purpose: Substantiation and development of an innovative service center for providing personal protective equipment for employees of transport enterprises. Analysis of the correlation of cases of occupational injury due to the non-use of special clothing and special protection and consideration of issues related to the need to create service centers for the storage, issuance, and cleaning of personal protective equipment. Methods: Research and analysis of regulatory documentation regulating the use and provision of personal protective equipment for employees of transport enterprises on the example of the Open Joint Stock Company “Russian Railways”. Application of the results of the statistical method of analyzing the dynamics of occupational injuries for organizational and technical reasons. Results: The functionality of service centers is proposed for consideration, as well as a brief justification of their necessity. Conclusions about the prospects of the proposed innovation are drawn. Practical significance: It is shown that the creation and implementation of service centers at railway transport enterprises will reduce the level of occupational injuries caused by the non-use of personal and collective protective equipment or the use of PPE of inadequate quality, as well as reduce the cost of premature disposal of workwear due to high-quality cleaning and repair, which in general will contribute to raising the quality of services rendered to employees of railway transport enterprises to a new level.

Field demonstration of intensified membrane distillation for treating oilfield produced waters from unconventional wells

Increasing disposal costs and environmental concerns have encouraged desalination projects in the Permian basin to cut down produced water (PW) volumes and improve the handling. This study aims to demonstrate performance of membrane-distillation (MD) for desalinating high-salinity PW. Prior to MD, electrocoagulation (EC) and microfiltration (MF) are used as primary and secondary pretreatments, respectively. These pretreatment steps are necessary to remove constituents such as suspended solids, oil, and grease. The integrated EC-MF process was followed by vacuum MD (VMD) to recover water and concentrate the brine stream. To improve latent heat recovery, vapor compression is integrated into the vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). Our EC-MF-VMD PW treatment process can treat 1000 L of PW per day, with water recoveries in the range of 30–70 %. Suspended solids and turbidity removal of 90 % and total organic carbon (TOC) removal of 60 % were achieved with EC-MF pretreatments, which effectively mitigated PW fouling potential. A custom-designed plate-and-frame VMD module was established which enabled unparalleled service flexibility to change membrane replacement and active area. Results from our systematic evaluation revealed that the flux of the commercial membranes in our VMD module varied from 5 to 66 Lm−2 h−1. The intensified VMD performance achieved by vapor compression led to remarkable improvement in energy efficiency in terms of gained output ratio (GOR = 2.7) and energy consumption per unit of water production (248 kWh m−3). This study demonstrates the capability of the MD process for PW treatment, revealing the reasonable potential for PW reuse and recycling. Although this process might be of interest for unique applications that justifies the cost, further improvements in energy consumption are required to make this technology feasible for commercialized desalination of oilfield produced waters.