Ozone based technologies to remediate sulfolane contaminated sites

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Sulfolane, an organic, colourless solvent is extensively used in natural gas processing and petroleum refining operations. Groundwater contamination around gas plants using sulfolane has recently been identified in Northern Alberta and many other parts of the world. As sulfolane easily mixes with water, it travels long distances from the source of contamination and affects drinking water aquifers.This project aims to develop a technology based on ozonation that could be deployed onsite for remediation of sulfolane contaminated sites. The technology is expected to be effective, sustainable with minimum site impact. The research builds on prior successful research on application of certain advanced oxidative processes and biodegradation to remediate sulfolane contaminated soils and water. Our ultimate goal is to develop a suite of technologies that can be used to remediate sulfolane contaminated sites. We have found that water chemistry and site conditions limit the applicability of certain technologies. This project is targeted towards developing ozone based technology for this purpose. The outcomes of the research will benefit our industrial partners and help them remediate their sulfolane contaminated sites and restore environmental quality of aquifers. Numerous other Canadian oil and gas companies which also face sulfolane contamination issues will also be benefited. Apart from environmental benefits to Canada, the technologies developed in this project can be used by Canadian consulting companies in other countries including USA to remediate similarly contaminated sites.