Welcome to the March/April 2018 edition of Industrial WaterWorld. In our feature article on page 16, Alanna Maya explores how challenges such as disposal restrictions, water scarcity, and high transportation costs are driving oil and gas operators to maximize their use of water resources. Cutting-edge technologies like Gradiant’s Selective Chemical Extraction process and the University of California’s self-heating carbon-nanotube-based membrane are among those paving the way for water reuse in oil and gas exploration and production.
Maximizing water efficiency is also important in cooling operations as newer plants are being required to use alternatives to fresh water for plant make-up. But before you look to your local wastewater treatment plant for treated effluent, it’s important to understand some fundamental considerations for microbiological control. Brad Buecker outlines steps that can be taken to prepare for using gray water in cooling towers on page 20.
Improving oil recovery through “waterflooding” has been in practice since the 1940s, but recent trends indicate that using lower salinity injection water has distinct advantages in the form of less polymer usage. The article on page 26 describes a recent pilot test of an ion exchange membrane developed by Saltworks that enabled the operators of an oilfield in Alberta, Canada, to achieve 40-60% savings on polymer costs in its enhanced oil recovery efforts.
Reducing suspended solids in beverage manufacturing effluent is an important endeavor — especially if you are being assessed a fee by your local utility. Such was the case for the UK’s largest independent drinks manufacturer, Halewood International. But as you’ll see in the case study on page 37, the company was able to significantly reduce its suspended solids and chemical oxygen demand with an advanced biological treatment and aeration system.
Be sure to check out this month’s Market Insight column from Bluefield Research (see page 15). In it, Erin Bonney Casey discusses the transformation underway in the U.S. power sector and how its trajectory, impacted by fuel switching and deregulation, will have ripple effects for investment in water management.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Industrial WaterWorld!
