Treatment of oil sands produced water using combined electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation techniques

Shamaei, Laleh; Khorshidi, Behnam; Perdicakis, Basil; Sadrzadeh, Mohtada

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.387

Cited by 84 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…In this study, ECT was defined as the time (in minutes) that produced water was in direct contact with the aluminum electrodes during an EC batch experiment. Before every batch experiment, electrodes were gently polished using sandpaper to remove deposits and smooth out any sharp spots [28].…”

Section: Electrocoagulation (Ec)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of Produced Water in the Permian Basin for Hydraulic Fracturing: Comparison of Different Coagulation Processes and Innovative Filter Media

Rodriguez

Wang

et al. 2020

Water

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Produced water is the largest volume of waste product generated during oil and natural gas exploration and production. The traditional method to dispose of produced water involves deep well injection, but this option is becoming more challenging due to high operational cost, limited disposal capacity, and more stringent regulations. Meanwhile, large volumes of freshwater are used for hydraulic fracturing. The goal of this study is to develop cost-effective technologies, and optimize system design and operation to treat highly saline produced water (120–140 g/L total dissolved solids) for hydraulic fracturing. Produced water was collected from a salt water disposal facility in the Permian Basin, New Mexico. Chemical coagulation (CC) using ferric chloride and aluminum sulfate as coagulants was compared with electrocoagulation (EC) with aluminum electrodes for removal of suspended contaminants. The effects of coagulant dose, current density, and hydraulic retention time during EC on turbidity removal were investigated. Experimental results showed that aluminum sulfate was more efficient and cost-effective than ferric chloride for removing turbidity from produced water. The optimal aluminum dose was achieved at operating current density of 6.60 mA/cm2 and 12 min contact time during EC treatment, which resulted in 74% removal of suspended solids and 53–78% removal of total organic carbon (TOC). The energy requirement of EC was calculated 0.36 kWh/m3 of water treated. The total operating cost of EC was estimated $0.44/m3 of treated water, which is 1.7 or 1.2 times higher than CC using alum or ferric chloride as the coagulant, respectively. The EC operating cost was primarily associated with the consumption of aluminum electrode materials due to faradaic reactions and electrodes corrosions. EC has the advantage of shorter retention time, in situ production of coagulants, less sludge generation, and high mobility for onsite produced water treatment. The fine particles and other contaminants after coagulation were further treated in continuous-flow columns packed with different filter media, including agricultural waste products (pecan shell, walnut shell, and biochar), and new and spent granular activated carbon (GAC). Turbidity, TOC, metals, and electrical conductivity were monitored to evaluate the performance of the treatment system and the adsorption capacities of different media. Biochar and GAC showed the greatest removal of turbidity and TOC in produced water. These treatment technologies were demonstrated to be effective for the removal of suspended constituents and iron, and to produce a clean brine for onsite reuse, such as hydraulic fracturing.

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Section: Electrocoagulation (Ec)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Treatment of Produced Water in the Permian Basin for Hydraulic Fracturing: Comparison of Different Coagulation Processes and Innovative Filter Media

Rodriguez

Wang

et al. 2020

Water

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“…An electrochemical cell with three electrodes (anode, cathode, and reference), was connected to a potentiostat, with a glass coverslip on one side of the cell to permit visualization of the electrode surface (Figure a). Aluminium plates were used for the anode and cathode due to higher valance and better treatment performance . The cell was operating under a constant current (galvanostatic) mode.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

In‐Operando Mapping of pH Distribution in Electrochemical Processes

et al. 2019

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In aqueous electrochemical processes, the pH evolves spatially and temporally, and often dictates the process performance. Herein, a new method for the in‐operando monitoring of pH distribution in an electrochemical cell is demonstrated. A combination of pH‐sensitive fluorescent dyes, encompassing a wide pH range from ≈1.5 to 8.5, and rapid electrochemically coupled laser scanning confocal microscopy is used to observe pH changes in the cell. Using electrocoagulation as an example process, we show that the method provides new insights into the reaction mechanisms. The pH close to the aluminium electrode surface is influenced by the applied current density, hydrolysis of aluminium cations, and gas evolution. Through quantification of the pH at the anode, along with gas analysis, we find that hydrogen is evolved at the anode due to a non‐Faradaic chemical reaction. This leads to increased production of coagulant, which may open new routes to enhance the process performance. This method for in‐operando dynamic visualization of pH paves the way for studies of electrochemical processes, including other water treatment, electrosynthesis, and batteries.

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“…EC has also been reported as a cost-effective treatment method to remove heavy metals from industrial wastewater if compared to chemical coagulation (CC) [10,11]. Several studies have been proposed and conducted regarding the integration of EC with other technologies such as biological reactors and chemical coagulation (CC) [7,12]. Employing a hybrid process can result in potential cost and energy savings while simultaneously improving treatment performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Employing a hybrid process can result in potential cost and energy savings while simultaneously improving treatment performance. Combining EC and CC processes can take advantage of both processes and optimize treatment by reducing separation time and water content of the generated sludge, simplifying the sludge dewatering process [12]. As far as the authors are aware, there is no work carried out on evaluating the combinations of EC and CC in microbrewery wastewater as well as on their economical effectiveness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Electrocoagulation and Chemical Coagulation in Treating Brewery Wastewater

Swain

Abbassi

Kinsley

2020

Water

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Significant over-strength discharge fees are often imposed on breweries for the disposal of high-strength effluent to sanitary sewers. In this research work, the removal performances of electrocoagulation (EC) compared with operating electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation in sequence (EC-CC) or vice-versa (CC-EC) was examined to determine the capability of treatment in reducing the strength of the wastewater. Optimal operating parameters regarding electrolysis time, initial pH, and applied power were determined in conjunction with nutrient removal performance, electrode consumption and energy usage. Combined EC-CC treatment has been demonstrated to be economically feasible for brewery wastewater applications from an energy consumption perspective due to the efficiency of nutrient removal and the reduction of sewer discharge costs. Treatment by EC-CC at 5 W for 20 min using aluminum electrodes resulted in enhanced and consistent removal efficiencies of 26%, 74%, 76%, and 85% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), reactive phosphorous (RP), total phosphorous (TP) and total suspended solids (TSS), respectively. Energy consumption was the main contributor to operating cost. By considering potential recovered over-strength discharge fees (ODF), EC-CC treatment is economically feasible and beneficial in a brewery wastewater application. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the CC-EC process to remove phosphorous, organics and solids from brewery wastewater at lower power supply, so that the recovered ODF cost for CC-EC at 5 W-EC is 23% higher than at 10 W-EC.

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Treatment of oil sands produced water using combined electrocoagulation and chemical coagulation techniques

Cited by 84 publications

References 86 publications

Treatment of Produced Water in the Permian Basin for Hydraulic Fracturing: Comparison of Different Coagulation Processes and Innovative Filter Media

Treatment of Produced Water in the Permian Basin for Hydraulic Fracturing: Comparison of Different Coagulation Processes and Innovative Filter Media

In‐Operando Mapping of pH Distribution in Electrochemical Processes

Combined Electrocoagulation and Chemical Coagulation in Treating Brewery Wastewater

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