Ex Situ Removal of BTEX and Hydrocarbons from Produced Waters Using Swellable, Absorbent Glass

Osorb® is a silica-based, swellable glass which can effectively capture 96–99.9% of dissolved and ispersed organic compounds from produced water. The glass is reusable and hydrophobic, allowing it to repeatedly and reversibly absorb up to eight times its own mass in organics without bsorbing any water. Osorb has been successfully used to treat samples of produced water from yoming, Canada, and the Gulf of Mexico Two ex situ pilot systems have been developed to tilize the technology. PW Unit #1 is a 246 L/min (65 gpm) treatment system that has completed ultiple treatments of Clinton formation produced water and is being deployed for pilot testing n Wamsutter, WY. Skid Unit #1 is a capture-only, fixed bed system that can treat produced water at 8–23 L/min (2–6 gpm). Skid Unit #1 has been successfully fielded in southern Texas and is eing deployed for pilot testing in the Marcellus Shale region.