Doublethink In The Desert: The Myth Of Recycling In The Permian Basin

Everyone is familiar with the water cut statistics: three to seven barrels of produced water emerge from the ground per barrel of oil. This oft-cited statistic is useful to appreciate the scale of the volumes of water produced in the Permian Basin. However, it does not tell the whole story.

Wastewater Treatment In Oil Refineries

Refineries are among the major consumers of water that has both process and non-process origins. The average refinery requires 2.5 gallons of water for every gallon of crude oil processed. Depending on the type of crude oil, composition of condensate and treatment processes, the characteristics of refinery wastewater varies widely. The design and operation of modern refinery wastewater treatment plants are challenging and are driven by technology. This article will highlight the most common types of waste streams in a refinery and suitable wastewater treatment strategies.

Innovation In Applying Existing Technology Solutions

A long-standing staple — water — is rapidly becoming a major issue for companies, not merely as a risk or line item expense, but for the potential it has to significantly impact shareholder value.  

Michigan Pipeline Standoff Could Affect Water Protection And Indigenous Rights Across The U.S.

Should states and Indigenous nations be able to influence energy projects they view as harmful or contrary to their laws and values? This question lies at the center of a heated debate over Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil and natural gas across Wisconsin and Michigan.

Injecting Agility And Automation At The Well Pad

Learn how adopting technology solutions that will make oil and gas companies agile and effective can allow these organizations to secure fast and significant ROI while meeting production and operations demand. 

Milk Waste - BOD, FOG, PO4

A milk producer operates an evaporated milk production facility that generates an average of 58,000 gpd of contaminated water with spikes of 1,200 gallons up to 12 times per day. Two 2,000 gallon batch tanks are used for pH adjustment before discharge. Most of the flow goes through the tanks.

What Is Genclean Advanced Oxidation Disinfection Solution And What Is It Used For?

A non-toxic, advanced oxidation (AOP) formula of minerals chelated with oxygen and stabilized in an aqueous water solution. It is a viable option in industries and applications requiring a solution to challenging situations where high level effective sanitization and oxidation is required. Read more to learn how the Genclean advanced oxidation treatment solutions can be used in different applications.

Importance Of Filtration in Water Treatment For Process Water & Wastewater Reuse

Filtration is very important for many commercial/industrial process water & wastewater reuse applications. In reality, pumping wastewater from somewhere like a refinery, food/beverage, textile or oil produced water application requires pre-filtration due to high amount of suspended solids in these typical applications. In fact, there are typically several filtration and treatment steps in these applications to ensure that the treated water meets the required discharge or reuse standard. In addition, filtration in water treatment ensures reduced operating cost on downstream polishing water treatment systems.

Successful Screening Pilot At A Major Waste-To-Energy Player

Parkson recently had a very successful pilot test at the facility of a bio-feedstock supplier of waste products turned into fuel. The Rotoshear® unit, equipped with a .060” wedgewire screen, successfully removes solids directly from Industrial Waste Hauling trucks to recover grease. Screening this material before it enters the receiving station allows the facility to focus on proper treatment of the industrial wastewater rather than the expensive downtime to drain and clean their receiving pond.

The Multiple Uses For Heat Exchangers In Brewing

There are numerous uses for heat exchangers in breweries — from cooling, pasteurizing, and fermenting products to efficiently dealing with waste streams such as yeast slurry. Compared to other methods of heating, heat exchangers can be much more energy-efficient, providing both environmental and economic benefits.

Pile Cloth Media Filtration For Clean Utilities

Cooling towers and boilers consume the most fresh water in the industry, with industrial process waters carrying the balance. Power plants and refineries use more water volume for the cooling process than any other area of the facility. Mining and food and beverage industries consume higher volumes for their processes. Clean water may come from a range of sources, including clarified surface waters, groundwater or properly treated wastewater (reuse) sources.

Desalination And Power Plants—An Ideal Partnership?

A partnership between power and desalination plants may be the solution to drinking water scarcity. Researchers are working on a new system that can create potable water using a low-temperature desalination process powered by waste heat from a waterless power plant cooling system. 

Real-Time Water Quality Data For Industrial Operations

We arm plant operators with actionable data necessary to make informed decisions about water management in industrial facilities.

ABB Ability: Our Offering For Power Plants

ABB provides an extensive selection of proven measurement and analytical products and solutions for power generation industry applications.

Can Co-Locating Utilities Solve The Water-Energy Nexus?

Resources being a scarce commodity, it’s incumbent upon us to optimize the use of water and energy as best we can. While conservation is the prime course of action for the public, the best solution for utilities may be to work smarter — by having the water-energy nexus work for us instead of against us.

Solving The World's Microplastics Problem: 4 Solutions Cities And States Are Trying After Global Treaty Talks Collapsed

Microplastics seem to be everywhere — in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. Countries have tried for the past few years to write a global plastics treaty that might reduce human exposure, but the latest negotiations collapsed in August 2025. While U.S. and global solutions seem far off, policies to limit harm from microplastics are gaining traction at the state and local levels.

Cannabis: A Unique Perspective

The cannabis industry is riding sky-high and heading for the clouds as legalization expands and markets grow. Cannabis growers are also poised to lead agriculture in water use efficiency and gain an upper hand in long-term contests over access to precious water.

How CERCLA Complicates The PFAS Problem

As states and the federal government attempt to crack down on the proliferation of PFAS and their health consequences with a spate of new regulations, there is one significant upcoming ruling that will have tremendous impact for compliance and costs: the final rule on PFAS CERCLA designation.

Doublethink In The Desert: The Myth Of Recycling In The Permian Basin

Everyone is familiar with the water cut statistics: three to seven barrels of produced water emerge from the ground per barrel of oil. This oft-cited statistic is useful to appreciate the scale of the volumes of water produced in the Permian Basin. However, it does not tell the whole story.

AWWA: Farm Bill Key In Protecting Drinking Water

Runoff from farmlands can carry nutrients, insecticides and sediment that impact source water for downstream communities.

Wastewater Treatment In Oil Refineries

Refineries are among the major consumers of water that has both process and non-process origins. The average refinery requires 2.5 gallons of water for every gallon of crude oil processed. Depending on the type of crude oil, composition of condensate and treatment processes, the characteristics of refinery wastewater varies widely. The design and operation of modern refinery wastewater treatment plants are challenging and are driven by technology. This article will highlight the most common types of waste streams in a refinery and suitable wastewater treatment strategies.

Overcoming Water Scarcity Challenges On Providenciales Island

The residents and industries of Providenciales Island are completely dependent on fresh water produced by a single desalination plant. In 2007, ITT Flowtronex was hired to replace the plant’s overworked pumping system and add a booster pumping station to the distribution system. One of the challenges they faced in designing controls for the system was how to maintain the public water supply while the island’s undersized ground water storage tanks were removed and replaced with a large single tank in the same location, a three to four month process. By Richard Embry and Christopher Little

Making A Business Case For The Use Of Water

A Q&A with Stuart Orr, head of water stewardship for the World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund)

Innovation In Applying Existing Technology Solutions

A long-standing staple — water — is rapidly becoming a major issue for companies, not merely as a risk or line item expense, but for the potential it has to significantly impact shareholder value.  

Pile Cloth Media Filtration For Clean Utilities

Cooling towers and boilers consume the most fresh water in the industry, with industrial process waters carrying the balance. Power plants and refineries use more water volume for the cooling process than any other area of the facility. Mining and food and beverage industries consume higher volumes for their processes. Clean water may come from a range of sources, including clarified surface waters, groundwater or properly treated wastewater (reuse) sources.