Produced water (PW) is salty water trapped in the reservoir rock and brought up along with oil or gas during production. It subsists under high pressures and temperatures, and usually contains hydrocarbons and metals. Therefore, it must be treated before being discharged to surface water. Different techniques are being used to treat PW through phase separations, system control and design, and chemical treatments. In this paper, we discuss our experimental results on treating PW through electrocoagulation (EC).

Explore stories of real success with wastewater treatment at oil/gas refineries, and LNG and chemical plants. 

In the northeastern corner of Alberta, nestled among the expanses of forests and wetlands, lies a major freshwater dilemma that Canada is currently facing. The reuse of water for oil extraction causes tailings ponds to accumulate higher and higher concentrations of harmful contaminants. As such, the water in these tailings ponds is dangerous, and often lethal, to birds, fish, frogs, and plants.

Accurate monitoring of oxygen levels in Monoethylene Glycol (MEG) injection solutions is crucial for gas condensate pipelines in the oil and gas industry.

Until recently, it was difficult to find an optimal meter for the harsh conditions that can occur during water transfer in oil and gas applications. The good news is that an effective, accurate, and rugged meter is emerging as an alternative.

The hardest aspects of comparing efficiencies among submerged aeration technologies are the many variables in capital expense (CAPEX), operating expense (OPEX), and complexity of wastewater makeup. Here are five major categories for evaluating industrial wastewater aeration efficiency.

While wastewater effluent standards mandated by the U.S. EPA and individual states eventually come down to a number, it pays to understand how those standards are established and the challenges of meeting them in real-world applications. Here is a look at the multiple pieces of that puzzle, including their wastewater treatment implications for industrial-scale meat and poultry processing operations.

The TITAN MBR helped a winery become the first ever to earn a LEED Platinum Certification for new construction in 2018 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Arsenic in water is one thing, but arsenic in beer? This is getting out of hand. While the drinking water supply is clearly much more of a concern than the beer supply, the sobering fact is that arsenic, a known carcinogen, is far too prevalent in the environment.

When a major pork producer sought cost-effective pumping solutions to one of its Kansas facility's wastewater systems, the search led to the installation of a Smith & Loveless above-grade pump station.

This article is the first of two in a Women’s History Month series that showcases a handful of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL's) outstanding women researchers in water power.

Stricter environmental policies and regulations worldwide are changing how industry approaches all aspects of business. Likewise, EU (European Union) environmental policies governing air, soil, and water quality have become progressively stringent.

These policy changes affect the power industry’s balance of meeting growing European energy demands with compliance to environmental standards. In order to conform with EU standards specific for flue gas, a coalfired generation plant (at the time owned by Endesa, Italia, S.p.A.) in Monfalcone, Italy, undertook the measure of installing a state-of-the-art FGD (flue gas desulfurization) system at their facility. This system would remove SO2 (sulfur dioxide) from the emissions for the 336 MW coal-fired power station.

For some instruments, downtime is necessary while service operations are undertaken. Swan Analytical Instruments has developed technology for power and industrial water/steam monitoring systems to enable uninterrupted operation.

This paper shows how the four pillars of operator effectiveness lead operators to greater awareness, faster response and better decisions.

Water stress, whether caused by drought, access limitation, or contamination, has been increasingly detrimental for an ever-growing range of industries. Recently, a report by CDP, in collaboration with Planet Tracker, shed light on the significant impact of water insecurity on the financial performance of more than 4,000 companies. Of particular note are those companies in energy or energy-adjacent sectors.

The hardest aspects of comparing efficiencies among submerged aeration technologies are the many variables in capital expense (CAPEX), operating expense (OPEX), and complexity of wastewater makeup. Here are five major categories for evaluating industrial wastewater aeration efficiency.

While wastewater effluent standards mandated by the U.S. EPA and individual states eventually come down to a number, it pays to understand how those standards are established and the challenges of meeting them in real-world applications. Here is a look at the multiple pieces of that puzzle, including their wastewater treatment implications for industrial-scale meat and poultry processing operations.

Technological advancements, particularly in UV treatment, have paved the way for efficient net-zero discharge practices that make it cost-effective compared to consuming and treating municipal water for production.

As ultrapure water becomes increasingly indispensable, new technologies redefine industrial standards, fostering resilience and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global market.

There are thousands of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in use for countless consumer products. PFAS can make products non-stick or waterproof. They are also used in industrial processes and make up fire-fighting foams used by first responders. With so many types of PFAS in use, EPA researchers have had to use new and innovative tools to gather more information about these chemicals.

How researchers at UC Merced are developing a better understanding of the three sources of water upon which California depends in order to adapt to the effects of environmental changes and make better use of this most precious of our natural resources.

‘Sewer mining’ may sound like a search for mistakenly flushed and washed-away valuables, but it’s actually a sophisticated, sustainable strategy for combating water scarcity.

200-acre Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ, is supported by a series of barns and other support facilities that house in excess of 500 horses during track operations. In the mid-1990s the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) constructed facilities to collect horse wash water and first flush stormwater runoff for conveyance to the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority (TRWRA), a wastewater treatment facility located in Monmouth Beach.

The economic and environmental costs of treating all wastewater at a centralized location can be a burden. At what point does decentralized treatment make more sense?

The word “unprecedented” is overused and often abused. Water stress, however — the situation in which the water resources in a region or country are insufficient for its needs — is today a major threat and we are in fact facing “unprecedented” challenges. Climate change is a big factor contributing to it, but it’s not the only factor. Without rapid changes in industrial water usage, it is predicted that within 10 years there will be a 40 percent global water deficit.