And why we want to recycle it?
Brine can be refereed to produced or reject water. Produced water is a valuable resource that can become a source of minerals and chemicals. It is a waste product of oil and gas production and is typically composed of salt water, oil, and minerals and metals in some cases. Generally brine is either injected back into the ground, into the sea if location allows or concentrated in open evaporation ponds. Although less saturated, reject water from desalination plants can be converted into certain valuable products as well.
Produced water can be recycled and used in other industries, such as agriculture and manufacturing. It can also be used to produce minerals and chemicals. For example, it can be used to produce sodium hypochlorite or hydrochloric acid which can be used as disinfectant. Potassium chloride, which is used in agriculture and manufacturing and many other products. It all depends on the source water.
Produced water recycling technology can make oil and gas production projects more environmentally friendly by reducing the need to dispose of large quantities of into the ground. Recycling produced water can also aid in reduction of CO2 emissions by decreasing the amount of freshwater that is used in hydraulic fracturing operations. Recycling production water also helps reduce the amount of wastewater that is produced. This technology is becoming more and more important as water scarcity becomes more of a issue.
Direct ground injection can lead to pollution of existing aquifers. Recycling this water can help reduce the environmental impact of oil and gas production projects.
Produced water recycling technology can improve desalination plants in a few ways. First, it can help reduce the amount of water that is lost to evaporation. Second, it can help reduce the amount of water that is lost to fouling. Third, it can help reduce the amount of energy that is needed to operate the plant. Fourth, it can help improve the quality of the water that is produced.
Adwaa Zohal is aiming to recycle produced and reject water using sustainable means. We are currently building our first pilot plant where we can test our system with verity of brine sources.