Unraveling the Complex Composition of Produced Water by Specialized Extraction Methodologies

Abstract

Produced water (PW), a waste byproduct of oil and gas extraction, is a complex mixture containing numerous organic solubles and elemental species; these constituents range from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to naturally occurring radioactive materials. Identification of these compounds is critical in developing reuse and disposal protocols to minimize environmental contamination and health risks. In this study, versatile extraction methodologies were investigated for the untargeted analysis of PW. Thin-film solid-phase microextraction with hydrophilic–lipophilic balance particles was utilized for the extraction of organic solubles from eight PW samples from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford formation in Texas. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis found a total of 266 different organic constituents including 1,4-dioxane, atrazine, pyridine, and PAHs. The elemental composition of PW was evaluated using dispersive solid-phase extraction followed by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, utilizing a new coordinating sorbent, poly­(pyrrole-1-carboxylic acid). This confirmed the presence of 29 elements including rare earth elements, as well as hazardous metals such as Cr, Cd, Pb, and U. Utilizing chemometric analysis, both approaches facilitated the discrimination of each PW sample based on their geochemical origin with a prediction accuracy above 90% using partial least-squares-discriminant analysis, paving the way for PW origin tracing in the environment.

Assessment and Upgrading of Preparation Protocols for Emulsified Crude Oils Mimicking Real Produced Water Characteristics

“…As listed in Tab. 1, three HPH‐based emulsified oils denoted as E 1,B , E 1,M and, E 1,S , all exhibited a unique oil droplet size distribution, were effectively accomplished through implementation of specific combinations of [O/W, P E , N PS ], namely [1/250, 1700, 1, [1/250, 1700, 2, and [1/1000, 1,700, 4, respectively.…”

“…Produced water (PW), is a highly contaminated oily wastewater byproduct from oil and gas industry [1][2][3]. The estimated daily production of PW ranges between of 30 to 69 Mm 3 [1,4,5].…”

Application of Poly(caffeic acid) for the Extraction of Critical Rare Earth Elements

“…The produced water was previously analyzed by Emmons et al. using PPy-CO 2 , and the results obtained with poly­(caffeic acid) were consistent with that study . The ability of poly­(caffeic acid) to extract and determine REEs in aqueous media was compared with other materials reported in the literature.…”

“…The produced water was previously analyzed by Emmons et al using PPy-CO 2 , and the results obtained with poly(caffeic acid) were consistent with that study. 58 The ability of poly(caffeic acid) to extract and determine REEs in aqueous media was compared with other materials reported in the literature. Compared with the methods listed in Table 1, poly(caffeic acid) allows for a fast, straightforward approach to the extraction of REEs with excellent removal and recovery characteristics.…”

Engineering Nano-Au-Based Sensor Arrays for Identification of Multiple Ni(II) Complexes in Water Samples

“…Numerous characterization protocols toward the organic-ligated metals in natural water and/or wastewater have been developed. Generally, the common strategy is based on a specific separation process realized via capillary electrophoresis, ion-exchange resin, and/or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), − coupled with highly sensitive detection by mass spectrometry (MS), , inductively coupled plasma-MS (ICP-MS), , and/or electrochemical methods. , For instance, Shan et al combined ion chromatography, ICP-MS, and HPLC to separate the negatively charged Ni­(II) complexes in the electroless plating effluent and then used MS to identify the complexes after solid phase extraction . However, such strategy requires expensive instruments, skilled manpower, and time-consuming operation, hampering its application - for on-site screening of Ni­(II) speciation.…”