Optimization of total dissolved solids removal from produced water using a hybrid ceramic adsorbent–reverse osmosis system

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Abstract

Produced water (PW) is water that is extracted alongside crude oil or gas during the drilling process, necessitating proper treatment prior to environmental discharge. In this paper, we examined the application of ceramic adsorbents, derived from residue catalytic cracking (RCC) spent catalysts and natural clay, for the reduction of total dissolved solids (TDS) in PW. The preparation of ceramic adsorbents entailed the combination of spent catalyst RCC with natural clay in various proportions. The influence of adsorbent composition, diameter, flow rate, and operating time on TDS removal was investigated. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the removal of TDS. The findings demonstrated that a ceramic adsorbent composed of 50% RCC spent catalyst, with a diameter of 20 mm, was most effective in removing 58.39% TDS at a flow rate of PW 8 L/min. The integration of ceramic adsorbent with reverse osmosis (RO) significantly decreases the TDS of PW by 90.73%. Ceramic adsorbents are a pretreatment method for RO to decrease TDS in PW. The findings present practical implications, offering oil and gas companies an alternative method for treating PW using RCC spent catalysts and RO membrane.

Keywords

ceramic adsorbent / natural clay / spent catalyst / total dissolved solids

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