DEFE0032455

Desalinated produced water as irrigation source for non-consumptive agriculture and adjacencies for ammonia mining and carbon sequestration field trials.

The objectives of this project are to advance the research on beneficial reuse of produced water (PW) in the Permian Basin.

The project will advance cost-effective beneficial reuse treatment and the valorization of resources in PW while generating data to support regulation, thereby reducing the volumes of water injected in disposal wells and create a new source of water for agriculture and other needs.

Aris Water Solutions

THE PRODUCTION OF NATURAL GAS AND OIL FROM THE SUBSURFACE AND THE GENERATION OF ELECTRICAL POWER FROM FOSSIL FUELS GENERATE STREAMS OF WASTEWATER CONTAINING COMPONENTS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY HARMFUL TO THE ENVIRONMENT. INDUSTRY EFFORTS TO RECYCLE THESE WASTE STREAMS HAVE BEEN LARGELY SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE SCALE OF ENERGY PRODUCTION IN THE U.S. IS SO GREAT THAT SIGNIFICANT VOLUMES OF THESE WASTE STREAMS STILL REQUIRE HANDLING, TRANSPORT, STORAGE, AND SAFE DISPOSAL. ALL THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE PROBLEMATIC WITH RESPECT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, PARTICULARLY THE DISPOSAL OF OILFIELD PRODUCED WATER AND HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FLOWBACK WATER VIA PUMPING INTO DEEP SUBSURFACE FORMATIONS. SUBSURFACE DISPOSAL PRIMARILY FROM OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS HAS INDUCED SEISMIC ACTIVITY IN CERTAIN REGIONS, RESULTING IN SURFACE DAMAGE TO COMMUNITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT. REDUCING THE VOLUME OF WASTEWATER DISPOSED OF VIA DEEP WELL INJECTION REQUIRES NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES TO ECONOMICALLY CONVERT THE WASTE STREAMS INTO A USEFUL PRODUCT. POTENTIAL BENEFICIAL USES COULD INCLUDE EXTRACTING USEFUL MINERALS AND ELEMENTS WHEN POSSIBLE AND PRODUCING REUSABLE WATER WHEN PRACTICAL. FRESHWATER SUPPLIES IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE U.S. ARE UNDER STRESS DUE TO INCREASED DEMAND AND CLIMATE CHANGE-INDUCED DROUGHT. A NUMBER OF THESE AREAS COINCIDE WITH OIL AND NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION AND COAL-FIRED THERMAL POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS. IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE, THERE WILL LIKELY BE A COMBINATION OF ECONOMIC AND REGULATORY DRIVERS THAT WILL ACT TO MAKE THE BENEFICIAL REUSE OF TREATED WASTEWATER A VIABLE, PERHAPS EVEN NECESSARY, OPTION. OF FURTHER CONSIDERATION, U.S. MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES ARE INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON OVERSEAS SUPPLIERS FOR THE MINERALS, METALS, AND ELEMENTS NECESSARY FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF CRITICAL ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS IN MODERN CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND NATIONAL DEFENSE. THE POTENTIAL FOR EXTRACTION OF THESE CRITICAL ELEMENTS FROM ENERGY PRODUCTION WASTE STREAMS MERITS RESEARCH. THE COMBINED OBJECTIVES OF REDUCING OIL AND NATURAL GAS WASTEWATER VOLUME, BENEFICIAL REUSE OF SUBSURFACE ENERGY INDUSTRY WASTEWATER IN WATER-SCARCE AREAS, POTENTIAL MITIGATION OF INDUCED SEISMICITY, AND RECOVERY OF CRITICAL RESOURCES ARE THE DRIVERS FOR THIS FOA.

81.089 - Fossil Energy Research and Development

National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) [DOE]

Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) [DOE]

Houston, Texas 77024-1590 United States

Single Zip Code

Water Research and Development for Oil and Gas Produced Water and Coal Combustion Residuals Wastewater Associated with Coal Power Plants (DE-FOA-0002796)