Potential uses of produced water discussed

MAXIMUM UTILISATION: Conference analyses oil and gas industry’s produced water for reuse and recycling

The two-day conference ‘Produced Water Middle East 2019’ that began on Wednesday looked at oil and gas industry’s produced water for reuse and recycling, using produced water in agriculture: opportunities and challenges, the oasis solution and characterisation and possible reuse of nonconventional gas produced water.

The conference, organised by the Produced Water Society Middle East, hosted by the Oman Water Society and supported by Petroleum Development Oman and Ministry of Oil and Gas, is held under the auspices of Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

This is the third technical meeting being held in the region in this regard and the organisers are looking forward to achieving collaborations as an outcome of this conference.

“The region is facing a challenge in two ways — one is the fact that we have over 60 per cent of the global crude reserves so that comes with a responsibility towards the rest of the world. Now produced water is a natural phenomenon that is taking place and increasing in our fields which is now developing into a challenge. So the companies in the region are all in the agreement that we all need to put hands together to see how this challenge can be turned into an opportunity in a region where water is really scarce. We hope through this event the collaboration will see the light between users and technology providers,” said Hani al Khalifa, President of Produced Water Society,

Middle East Chapter, while speaking to the Observer after the inauguration of the exhibition.

At the conference, PDO is sharing its experience in using the produced water for various projects. Technical Director of PDO, Sami al Lawati, who also delivered the keynote address, said produced water will continue to be a challenge as long as a country produces oil. “We have the conventional way of injecting it into the reservoir or ensuring we do not produce too much by water shut off, but once it is on the surface one has to think about how we can generate value out of it instead of disposing it.”

He said the challenge is to utilise the produced water to generate value and at the same time resolve the issue of disposal. “Forums such as these give an opportunity to have dialogues and exchange of knowledge,” he added.

Some of PDO’S innovative projects have been water shut off, Nimr wetlands; produced water is used to make steam, agriculture, salt production that will be used for drilling operations.

According to Lisa Henthorne, President of the Produced Water Society, one of the main objectives is to raise the feasibility of produced water in the region and the issue of treating it and how to shift the perception by looking at it as a resource and not just a waste.

“There is need for paradigm shift on looking at the water as a resource at the same time minimising the cost to the oil companies. We have come a long way in the last decade and around the world we are getting better in using it for water flooding for maintaining pressure as it reduces the cost of production and some creative solutions as applied in Oman by PDO. In the US we are recycling all of this water. We are getting better but there is a lot more to achieve,” said Henthorne.

The topic of using produced water has also got the attention of other organisations. Nora Ourabah Haddad, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations representative to Oman, said this conference is of utmost importance given the context of water scarcity in Oman.

“Water produced out of the oil is one of the sources that we have to look into and consider as one of the potential resources to address water scarcity in addition to looking at the nonconventional methods of using this water. We have been alluding to the concept of using it in agriculture in the introductory remarks and we are looking forward to hear more about the best practices and also see how FAO can help in this regard through the regional initiative on water scarcity which we are developing with different partners.”

Meanwhile, Sultan Qaboos University has already been conducting research in this regard and some of the researchers will be presenting their studies at the conference.

The director of the Water Research Centre at SQU said the university began the research from 1999-2000 onwards and some of the research collaborated with the industry stakeholders are today functioning projects.

“We are now doing a feasibility study on similar ground related to oil produced water with South African University in the near future on the possibility of treatment and reuse. We look forward to share this challenge with PDO and other organisations as well.

It is a challenge but a huge potential for the future which could contribute water security if we are able to find the right use of this water,” explained Dr Ali al Muktoumi, Director of Water Research Centre, Associate Professor, Soils, Water and Agriculture Engineering Department, College of Engineering and Marine Sciences.