Water and Wastewater Solutions For The Oil and Gas Industry

1. Drilling Fluid Producer Discovers The Coriolis Advantage 1/8/2019

   Drilling fluid is critical for successful oil extraction. Typically made up of water, clay and a complex mix of chemicals, it supports the drilling process in a variety of ways — from lubricating and cooling the drill bit under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, to lifting drill cuttings to the surface, to maintaining oil well stability and safety. But drilling fluid is not a “one size fits all” solution. To work properly, the fluid must be optimized for the unique geographic conditions of individual well sites.

2. State Leaders Concerned About Safety Of Reusing Oil And Gas Wastewater 8/30/2018

   Regulators from across the country met in Vermont this week at the Environmental Council of the State’s (ECOS) fall meeting to discuss some of the nation’s most pressing environmental challenges. I joined members of ECOS’ Shale Gas Caucus to discuss an emerging threat imminently impacting oil and gas-producing states: the question of what to do with the massive amount of wastewater produced by the oil and gas industry each year.

3. Has Fracking Gone 'Green'? 6/6/2014

   There are few topics more controversial these days than hydraulic fracturing ("fracking"). While the debate rages on as to whether fracking poses a risk to water quality, a new desalination technique addresses two other environmental concerns: water scarcity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Developed by researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC), the breakthrough technology uses excess carbon dioxide created in the fracking process to desalinate the process water, making it available for water reuse. It also generates chemicals — hydrochloric acid and carbonate salts — that are valuable for many industrial applications.

4. How Natural Light Can Separate Oil From Wastewater 6/8/2017

   Researchers at MIT have developed a system that uses visible light to treat produced water, a potential economic and environmental savior for the oil and gas industry.

5. A Fracking Coverup? 1/17/2013

   I’m not inclined to pick on the EPA, but in the wake of the recent report that they overstepped their authority on stormwater regulation, I saw that The Associated Press did an exposé charging the EPA with suppressing information on hydraulic fracturing’s link to drinking water contamination.

6. Oil And Water: Lessons For The Water Industry From Oil And Gas 12/13/2016

   As water scarcity continues to be a major, ongoing challenge in the U.S., public and private sector leaders are seeking new insights on sustainable solutions. In this work, they are grappling with challenges on a scale that oil and gas organizations have been confronting for decades now. It’s understandable that stakeholders can get caught up in the tactical side of dealing with water crises — but there is also guidance to be gained by taking a high-level view.

7. Pile Cloth Media Filtration Effectively Removes COD And TSS From Oil Refinery Wastewater 12/6/2023

   This application profile focuses on two test sites with different treatment requirements and describes how Aqua-Aerobic Systems’ OptiFiber® pile cloth media filtration was used at both sites to address the removal of harmful constituents from refinery wastewater.

8. Refinery Wastewater: Benefits Of Remediation By Electrocoagulation 2/1/2021

   Crude oil is a fossil fuel formed from long-dead organisms subjected to intense heat and pressure underground. This resource is the main ingredient in the production of gasoline, diesel fuel, lubricants, kerosene, propane, and asphalt. All of these products can be made in a single refinery through a complex branching series of chemical processes. The central refining process is atmospheric distillation whereby the crude oil is fractured into different components based on their differing boiling points. Each of these fractions will be sent along to separate process to be turned into the different oil products. Therefore, remediation of refinery wastewater from these different processes can be quite complex.

9. Can Oil And Gas Keep Up With Digital Disruption? 9/12/2022

   Explore the four components that, if put together in the right way, will allow the oil and gas industry to reap the benefits of IoT, the Cloud and Big Data. 

10. How Advanced Biological Technologies Overcome Complex Wastewater Treatment Challenges In The Oil And Gas Sector 6/5/2025

    This white paper explores how advanced biological technologies — including MBBR, IFAS, SBR, and MBR systems — are transforming wastewater management in this sector.