Constructed Wetlands for Industrial Wastewater Treatment

1Integrated Produced Water Management in a Desert Oilfield Using Wetland Technology and Innovative Reuse Practices

Alexandros I. Stefanakis^1.2.3, Stephane Prigent¹ and Roman Breuer¹

¹Bauer Resources GmbH, BAUER-Strasse 1, Schrobenhausen, Germany

²Bauer Nimr LLC, Muscat, Oman

³Department of Engineering, German University of Technology in Oman, Athaibah, Oman

1.1 Introduction

The water that is produced during the exploration and production of oil and gas represents one of the largest industrial waste streams worldwide [1]. This water occurs not only during the crude oil recovery, but also during other forms of fossil energy recovery including shale gas, oil sands and coal bed methane [2]. Produced water may include water from the reservoir, natural formation water and water injected into the formation, along with any chemical substances used during the production and treatment processes. Even after the majority of the oil and gas has been extracted, produced water is typically contaminated with residual hydrocarbons. Stricter environmental policies drive the vision of environmentally friendly treatment of produced water. The North American region is the largest market for produced water treatment; more than 20 billion bbl (barrels of oil) of produced water are annually produced in the USA alone [3]. The worldwide production of produced water associated with hydrocarbon recovery exceeds 77 billion bbl per annum [4]. The Middle East market remains a key growth area due to increasing awareness ...