Trench water treatment using membrane-based hybrid processes

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The management of water supply and demand has become critical for the sustainable development of Canada's**natural resources. A significant concern in gas plant sites in Alberta is contaminants, likely sourced from a flare**pit and wastewater pond, which result in substantial soil and groundwater impacts over a large area. The**primary contaminants of concern in this area include sulfolane, diisopropanolamine, and chloride. Sulfolane is**a natural gas sweetening compound designed to remove H2S, CO2 and other impurities from the gas stream.**As it is highly water soluble, this compound can potentially leach into groundwater from spills and landfills at**some sour gas processing facilities in Western Canada. Hence, the regulator has requested that oil and gas**industries assess and remediate any impacts encountered.**Currently, there are a few remediation technologies available to address sulfolane (e.g., oxidation and**bio-remediation). However, due to the recalcitrant properties of sulfolane, these technologies can be ineffective**and expensive when large mass reduction is required (i.e., >100 ppm). Membrane separation processes have**become one of the fastest emerging technologies for desalination and water treatment due to their distinct**advantages over traditional processes, primarily lower operating costs, compact design, and high product**quality. In this project, the feasibility of two membrane-based hybrid processes, nanofiltration (NF)/reverse**osmosis (RO) and chemical treatment/RO, for the treatment of trench water will be investigated. Applying this**technology for the treatment of trench water, will promote groundwater recirculation, increase oxygenation to**support aerobic biodegradation in situ, and would return the water back into the hydrologic cycle. Groundwater**recirculation can increase the pace of remediation, creates a dynamic flow regime, and increases mass removal.