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Brine generated at offshore and onshore oil recovery facilities is generally treated for removal of oil and suspended solids to meet process and regulatory requirements. Microfiltration (MF) and Ultrafiltration (UF) have been proposed as effective and cost-competitive alternatives to conventional oil removal technology. Recent studies in this field were reviewed to identify current trends and technical obstacles to the implementation of MF/UF technology for oilfield brine treatment. The most extensively demonstrated membrane technology for oilfield brine treatment in North America is a tubular ceramic microfiltration system which employs backflushing and chemical pretreatment. Two commercial installations of this technology are now in place, however, long term viability is uncertain. Lack of an adequate database on both membrane/brine interaction and long term system operations have mitigated against the development of predictive models and correlations necessary to design membrane processes for removal of oil from oilfield brine. The key technical obstacles to cost effective application of membranes include low average flux rates, flux degradation and uncertain membrane life. Concerns regarding integration of membrane processes at oilfield brine treatment facilities include sensitivity to variations in flow and oilfield brine characteristics, handling of waste streams generated using chemical pretreatment and requirements for extensive prefiltration.

The available energy can be effectively upgraded by adopting smart energy conversion measures. The biodegradability of biomass can be improved by employing pretreatment techniques; however, such methods result in reduced energy efficiency. In this study, microwave (MW) irradiation is used for green algae (Enteromorpha) pretreatment in combination with iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) which act as a heterogeneous catalyst during anaerobic digestion process for biogas enhancement. Batch-wise anaerobic digestion was carried out. The results showed that MW pretreatment and its combination with Fe3O4 NPs produced highest yields of biogas and hydrogen as compared to the individual ones and control. The biogas amount and hydrogen % v/v achieved by MW pretreatment + Fe3O4 NPs group were 328 mL and 51.5%, respectively. The energy analysis indicated that synergistic application of MW pretreatment with Fe3O4 NPs produced added energy while consuming less input energy than MW pretreatment alone. The kinetic parameters of the reaction were scientifically evaluated by using modified Gompertz and Logistic function model for each experimental case. MW pretreatment + Fe3O4 NPs group improved biogas production potential and maximum biogas production rate.

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