A FOULING-RESISTANT MEMBRANE SYSTEM FOR TREATING OILFIELD AND TAR SAND WASTEWATERS-

MORE THAN 3 BILLION BARRELS OF OIL WERE PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1984. VAST QUANTITIES OF CON- TAMINATED OILFIELD WASTEWATERS ARE GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS OIL PRODUCTION-OFTEN MORE THAN 10 BARRELS OF WATER PER BARREL OF OIL. THE RECOVERY OF OIL FROM TAR SANDS ALSO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERATING OILY WASTEWATERS. CONVENTIONAL METHODS FOR DISPOSING THIS WASTEWATER INCLUDE HAULING IT FROM THE SITE AND/OR REINJECTING IT INTO A FORMATION. THESE METHODS ARE EXPENSIVE AND ADD SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE PRICE OF DOMESTIC OIL. OTHER CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF DISPOSAL, SUCH AS DUMPING INTO SURFACE OR SUBSURFACE WASTE PITS OR INTO THE OCEAN, ARE OFTEN ENVIRONMENTALLY OBJECTION- ABLE. THE PROGRAM WILL ATTEMPT TO DEVELOP A REVERSE- OSMOSIS SYSTEM CAPABLE OF RECOVERING A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THESE OILFIELD WASTEWATERS AS CLEAN WATER AND CONCENTRATING THE WASTE-CONTAINING WATER DOWN TO A SMALL VOLUME. THIS WOULD GREATLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE HAULED OR OTHERWISE TREATED AND WOULD PROVIDE A SOURCE OF WATER IN THE OFTEN ARID OIL-PRODUCING REGIONS. THIS SYSTEM WILL BE BASED ON A NEW FOULING-RESISTANT MEMBRANE MODULE CAPABLE OF REJECTING ABOUT ONE-HALF OF THE DISSOLVED INORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN THE OILFIELD WASTEWATERS WHILE ALSO REJECTING VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE OIL AND GREASE. THIS MEMBRANE WILL THEREFORE ALLOW THE TREATMENT BY REVERSE OSMOSIS OF OILFIELD WASTEWATERS CONTAINING EVEN HIGH LEVELS OF DISSOLVED SOLIDS.