Enhancing the Quality of "Produced Water" by Activated Carbon

Abstract

The main objective is to contribute via this study, in solving an environmental issue and helping Qatar in finding suitable water resources; useful in agriculture. Qatar faces diverse water challenges; the number one that threats here is scarcity as water is not renewable. Due to scarcity of good quality water, reusing of low quality and contaminated water is highly increasing in Qatar. The main source of water in Qatar is desalination stations. Most of the desalinated water is for human usage. Agriculture in Qatar depends mainly on underground water; it is available but always saline and found in insufficient quantities. Due to the increasing demand for water among industries and irrigation, using other alternative water resources such as produced water during oil and gas extraction would be of importance. Generally, produced water is the water that exists in subsurface and is moved to the surface through oil and gas processes. The volume of produced water and pollutants concentration vary depending on the nature and location of the oil products. It represents the major waste stream related to oil and gas processes. Large volume of produced water generated in Qatar has the potential to enhance the water resources. The crucial goal of produced water management is to eliminate dissolved harmful components and use it for beneficial uses that can efficiently improve environmental impact and water shortage. An exclusive characteristic of produced water comparing to other wastewater resources is the large variation and complexity in water chemistry. This would play a vital role in the remediation processes.