Petrochemical wastewater and produced water: Treatment technology and resource recovery

Petrochemical wastewater and produced water from oil and gas operations typically contain an array of organic and inorganic contaminants. The complexity of the wastewater, stringent environmental regulations, and the need for sustainable solutions have driven many research efforts in studying and developing advanced technology or combined treatment processes. On the other hand, the wastewater itself can be resources for water, energy, and other valuable product if appropriate technology is developed to recover them in a cost-effective fashion. The research advances in wastewater treatment and resource recovery technology are reviewed and summarized. For petrochemical wastewater, progresses were made in advanced oxidation, biological processes, and recovery of energy and water from wastewater. For produced water, many efforts were focused on membrane processes, combined systems, and biological treatment. Practitioner points Significant progress continued to be made on petrochemical wastewater and produced water treatment. Recent technological advances in various treatment processes were summarized. Technologies focusing on resource recovery (e.g., water or energy) were presented.