Removal of total organics and grease from oil production effluents by an adsorption process

Oilfield produced water accounts for 98% of all waste generated in oil and gas exploration and processing. This process water may contain up to 1000 ppm total oil and grease, which must be treated prior to discharge. A novel inorganic adsorbent was designed to have high affinity towards such organics. Lab scale evaluations of this adsorbent on production effluents obtained from an onshore site consistently yields TOG removal 96%. This was found to be a significant improvement over the chemically assisted DAF at 74% in similar lab scale evaluations. This novel technology has the potential to provide a substantial reduction in capital and operating costs for water treatment.