Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID ND_2023_Lim_2

Salts Removal as an Effective and Economical Method of Bakken Formation Treatment

Institute: North Dakota
Year Established: 2023 Start Date: 2023-09-01 End Date: 2024-05-15
Total Federal Funds: $4,572 Total Non-Federal Funds: $4,933

Principal Investigators: Yeo Howe Lim

Project Summary: Produced water in the U.S. Bakken oilfield has become a significant environmental concern since oil and gas production growth has been substantial. The objectives of this study are to analyze the concentration of critical metals present in oilfield-produced water from the Bakken oilfield in North Dakota and to investigate the removal of hardness ions and heavy metals. The present study investigates the pretreatment of produced water by precipitative softening using lime–soda or caustic soda. The softened produced water can be used for recovery of Li or other high value-added elements, reused for hydraulic fracturing, or further treated by nanofiltration or reverse osmosis for non-potable uses. The recovery of these elements from produced water may create additional financial benefits for oil-producing areas. More importantly, this sustainable disposal of produced water may encourage the recycling and reuse practice, ultimately reducing the use of freshwater for hydraulic fracturing.