The Search To Save Produced Water

Oil companies, particularly in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, are investing millions in testing technologies to recycle and reuse produced water. As oil production has surged, so have the volumes of brackish and chemically-laden fluid, with producers in the Permian pumping roughly four barrels of water for each barrel of crude.

Produced water contains high levels of salts, metals, drilling chemicals, toxic hydrocarbons like benzene, and radioactive materials. Traditional methods of disposal have been problematic, often involving injecting vast quantities underground into old wells and geological formations. However, this has been increasingly linked to earthquakes and ground buckling, which in turn has made drilling more difficult. In addition, companies are starting to face limitations on available underground space for injection. At the same time, regulators have been imposing limits on deep injection wells in response to the seismic activity.