Membrane Desalination to Prepare Produced Water for Reuse

This study develops a treatment strategy for produced water. This kind of water can include formation water, injection water, and any chemicals added downhole or within the separation process. Regardless of the parameters, produced water contains several kinds of components such as heavy metals, salts, radionuclides, oil and grease, suspended solids, dissolved solids, and other dissolved and volatile organic compounds. To manage this highly polluted water, several strategies can be considered; one of these strategies is produced water reuse that makes this kind of water as an acceptable resource for industries, irrigations, and livestock instead of a waste stream. The main goal of this study is to prepare produced water for reuse methods by removing the major contaminant which is salt (ionic compounds). During these experiments, the specific species causing membrane fouling and the approaches to reduce the fouling process will be determined.