Application of circular economy in oil and gas produced water treatment

Marwa M. Waly; Slobodan B. Mickovski; Craig Thomson

doi:10.3390/su15032132

Application of circular economy in oil and gas produced water treatment

Marwa M. Waly^*, Slobodan B. Mickovski, Craig Thomson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

150 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) is a promising model in industrial waste management, offering viable long-term resource sustainability. The rising costs of the oil and gas industry make circularity a reliable approach for saving materials, money, and energy. In recent years, attention has risen to the need to apply CE within oil and gas produced water (PW) treatment. The most common treatment practice for PW is based on mechanical treatment, with optional disposal of treated water into deep wells. However, this procedure consumes a lot of energy, increases operational costs, and causes environmental risks. This research aims to propose sustainable treatment technology promoting circularity by introducing a novel nature-based solution to treat PW. The main research objective is to develop a circular model for PW treatment by investigating the treatment of PW using constructed wetlands (CWs) to sustainably reduce the amount of waste in oil and gas fields. Additionally, investigate the use of industrial wastes as filtration materials for CW systems. In this study, eight different laboratory-scale CWs models were designed and tested. The CWS operated in two different types of flow directions: vertical (VF) and horizontal flow (HF). The main filter media for the CW system included aggregates, activated carbons, plastic, and shredded tires. The study investigated the removal rates of Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Oil and Grease (OG), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) from the PW. Testing the CWs, it was found that the results of the PW treatment were promising, with the potential for more future shredded tires and plastic applications. All systems were effective at removing contaminants from produced water, with the highest recorded removal efficiencies of 94.8% TSS, 33.7% TDS, 90.2% OG, and 98.4% TPH. The research results were efficient and promoted the circular use of CW in PW treatment in addition to the possibility of reusing the treated effluent in agriculture and irrigation.

Original language	English
Article number	2132
Journal	Sustainability
Volume	15
Issue number	3
Early online date	23 Jan 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032132
Publication status	Published - Feb 2023

Keywords

circular economy
life cycle assessment
constructed wetland
sustainability
environment
resilience enhancement
industrial waste management
nature-based solutions
produced water treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
General Engineering
General Environmental Science
General Social Sciences
Economics, Econometrics and Finance(all)
General Energy
General Chemical Engineering
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
General Decision Sciences
Computer Science (miscellaneous)
Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
Geography, Planning and Development
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
Hardware and Architecture
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Building and Construction
Computer Networks and Communications
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Documents and Links

10.3390/su15032132

Waly, M.M. et al (2023) Application of circular economy in oil and gas produced water treatment
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Final published version, 4.65 MBLicence: CC BY

5 Citations
18 Article
9 Conference contribution
3 Review article
2 Anthology/Edited Book
More
- 1 Chapter (peer-reviewed)
- 1 Editorial

A review of the occurrence and causes for wildfires and their impacts on the geoenvironment
Farid, A., Alam, M. K., Goli, V. S. N. S., Akin, I. D., Akinleye, T., Chen, X., Cheng, Q., Cleall, P., Cuomo, S., Foresta, V., Ge, S., Iervolino, L., Iradukunda, P., Luce, C. H., Koda, E., Mickovski, S. B., O'Kelly, B. C., Paleologos, E. K., Peduto, D. & Ricketts, E. J. & 9 others, Sadegh, M., Sarris, T. S., Singh, D. N., Singh, P., Tang, C.-S., Tardio, G., Vaverikova, M. D., Veneris, M. & Winkler, J., Aug 2024, In: Fire. 7, 8, 20 p., 295.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

Open Access
File
49 Downloads (Pure)
Bervie Braes at 10 years: critical review of the effectiveness of slope stabilisation measures
Mickovski, S. B., 2 Apr 2024, (Accepted/In press) Proceedings of the XVIII ECSMGE 2024. ISSMGE
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Monitoring the mechanical performance of self-drilling, self-tapping fasteners after installation using impact-type tooling in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
Murphy, R., Mickovski, S. B. & Hytiris, N., 30 Jul 2024, (Accepted/In press) BINDT/61st Annual British Conference on Non-Destructive Testing 2024 proceedings. BINDT
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

Open Access
File

1 Finished

ECOMED: Specialisation process for a soil and water bioengineering sector in the Mediterranean environment.
Mickovski, S. (CoI), Gallagher, C. (CoI), Gonzalez Ollauri, A. (CoI), Thomson, C. (CoI) & Garcia Rodriguez, J. L. (PI)
European Commission
19/01/17 → 19/01/19
Project: Research Grant

Cite this

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title = "Application of circular economy in oil and gas produced water treatment",

abstract = "The circular economy (CE) is a promising model in industrial waste management, offering viable long-term resource sustainability. The rising costs of the oil and gas industry make circularity a reliable approach for saving materials, money, and energy. In recent years, attention has risen to the need to apply CE within oil and gas produced water (PW) treatment. The most common treatment practice for PW is based on mechanical treatment, with optional disposal of treated water into deep wells. However, this procedure consumes a lot of energy, increases operational costs, and causes environmental risks. This research aims to propose sustainable treatment technology promoting circularity by introducing a novel nature-based solution to treat PW. The main research objective is to develop a circular model for PW treatment by investigating the treatment of PW using constructed wetlands (CWs) to sustainably reduce the amount of waste in oil and gas fields. Additionally, investigate the use of industrial wastes as filtration materials for CW systems. In this study, eight different laboratory-scale CWs models were designed and tested. The CWS operated in two different types of flow directions: vertical (VF) and horizontal flow (HF). The main filter media for the CW system included aggregates, activated carbons, plastic, and shredded tires. The study investigated the removal rates of Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Oil and Grease (OG), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) from the PW. Testing the CWs, it was found that the results of the PW treatment were promising, with the potential for more future shredded tires and plastic applications. All systems were effective at removing contaminants from produced water, with the highest recorded removal efficiencies of 94.8% TSS, 33.7% TDS, 90.2% OG, and 98.4% TPH. The research results were efficient and promoted the circular use of CW in PW treatment in addition to the possibility of reusing the treated effluent in agriculture and irrigation.",

keywords = "circular economy, life cycle assessment, constructed wetland, sustainability, environment, resilience enhancement, industrial waste management, nature-based solutions, produced water treatment",

author = "Waly, {Marwa M.} and Mickovski, {Slobodan B.} and Craig Thomson",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

doi = "10.3390/su15032132",

language = "English",

volume = "15",

journal = "Sustainability",

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AU - Mickovski, Slobodan B.

AU - Thomson, Craig

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N2 - The circular economy (CE) is a promising model in industrial waste management, offering viable long-term resource sustainability. The rising costs of the oil and gas industry make circularity a reliable approach for saving materials, money, and energy. In recent years, attention has risen to the need to apply CE within oil and gas produced water (PW) treatment. The most common treatment practice for PW is based on mechanical treatment, with optional disposal of treated water into deep wells. However, this procedure consumes a lot of energy, increases operational costs, and causes environmental risks. This research aims to propose sustainable treatment technology promoting circularity by introducing a novel nature-based solution to treat PW. The main research objective is to develop a circular model for PW treatment by investigating the treatment of PW using constructed wetlands (CWs) to sustainably reduce the amount of waste in oil and gas fields. Additionally, investigate the use of industrial wastes as filtration materials for CW systems. In this study, eight different laboratory-scale CWs models were designed and tested. The CWS operated in two different types of flow directions: vertical (VF) and horizontal flow (HF). The main filter media for the CW system included aggregates, activated carbons, plastic, and shredded tires. The study investigated the removal rates of Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Oil and Grease (OG), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) from the PW. Testing the CWs, it was found that the results of the PW treatment were promising, with the potential for more future shredded tires and plastic applications. All systems were effective at removing contaminants from produced water, with the highest recorded removal efficiencies of 94.8% TSS, 33.7% TDS, 90.2% OG, and 98.4% TPH. The research results were efficient and promoted the circular use of CW in PW treatment in addition to the possibility of reusing the treated effluent in agriculture and irrigation.

AB - The circular economy (CE) is a promising model in industrial waste management, offering viable long-term resource sustainability. The rising costs of the oil and gas industry make circularity a reliable approach for saving materials, money, and energy. In recent years, attention has risen to the need to apply CE within oil and gas produced water (PW) treatment. The most common treatment practice for PW is based on mechanical treatment, with optional disposal of treated water into deep wells. However, this procedure consumes a lot of energy, increases operational costs, and causes environmental risks. This research aims to propose sustainable treatment technology promoting circularity by introducing a novel nature-based solution to treat PW. The main research objective is to develop a circular model for PW treatment by investigating the treatment of PW using constructed wetlands (CWs) to sustainably reduce the amount of waste in oil and gas fields. Additionally, investigate the use of industrial wastes as filtration materials for CW systems. In this study, eight different laboratory-scale CWs models were designed and tested. The CWS operated in two different types of flow directions: vertical (VF) and horizontal flow (HF). The main filter media for the CW system included aggregates, activated carbons, plastic, and shredded tires. The study investigated the removal rates of Total suspended solids (TSS), Total dissolved solids (TDS), Oil and Grease (OG), and Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) from the PW. Testing the CWs, it was found that the results of the PW treatment were promising, with the potential for more future shredded tires and plastic applications. All systems were effective at removing contaminants from produced water, with the highest recorded removal efficiencies of 94.8% TSS, 33.7% TDS, 90.2% OG, and 98.4% TPH. The research results were efficient and promoted the circular use of CW in PW treatment in addition to the possibility of reusing the treated effluent in agriculture and irrigation.

KW - circular economy

KW - life cycle assessment

KW - constructed wetland

KW - sustainability

KW - environment

KW - resilience enhancement

KW - industrial waste management

KW - nature-based solutions

KW - produced water treatment

U2 - 10.3390/su15032132

DO - 10.3390/su15032132

M3 - Article

SN - 2071-1050

VL - 15

JO - Sustainability

JF - Sustainability

IS - 3

M1 - 2132

ER -

Application of circular economy in oil and gas produced water treatment

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Documents and Links

Fingerprint

Research output

A review of the occurrence and causes for wildfires and their impacts on the geoenvironment

Bervie Braes at 10 years: critical review of the effectiveness of slope stabilisation measures

Monitoring the mechanical performance of self-drilling, self-tapping fasteners after installation using impact-type tooling in Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)

Projects

ECOMED: Specialisation process for a soil and water bioengineering sector in the Mediterranean environment.

Cite this