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Pathway for Recovering Valuable Elements of Interest from Subsurface Brines and Oilfield Produced Waters
Dr. Kyle E. Murray, Murray GeoConsulting, LLC
Abstract:
Water that is co-produced with oil and gas is referred to as produced water. This water originated as seawater that occupied the pore space of marine sediments at the time of deposition. Over geological time, the sediment is buried, consolidated, and lithified, while minerals dissolve into the formation water. This “geologically-aged” seawater becomes a subsurface brine that can have total dissolved solids concentrations 10 times higher than the original seawater. After separating produced water from oil, the wastewater is normally disposed into saltwater disposal wells. However, because wastewaters and residual solids contain critical minerals (CM), rare earth elements (REE), and other elements of interest (EOI) that are in demand for medical, computer, and energy technologies, they are a potential resource in a twenty-first century circular economy.
A pathway for recovering EOI includes assessment of commodity markets, characterization of waters and wastes for EOI concentrations, and computation of gross values of EOI in $/bbl or $/tonne. Then evaluation of technologies that are economically favorable for extraction of the EOI. Indications are that 10 or more EOI can be economically extracted from subsurface brines and oilfield produced waters. Case studies and results from ongoing projects are presented including characterization of more than 60 EOI in produced water samples. The approach could be applied in any region of the world to assess potential for resource recovery of EOI from seawater, brackish water, subsurface brines, produced water, or solid wastes. The characterization and recovery of EOI from produced water will feed a circular economy.
Biography:
Dr. Kyle E. Murray is the Principal Scientist of Murray GeoConsulting, LLC. He earned a Ph.D. in Geological Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and has worked on geoscience projects since 1995. Dr. Murray’s experience as a consultant or researcher is in hydrogeology, natural resources and GIS databases, water resources, induced seismicity, produced water management, and resource recovery. His current focus is to evaluate produced water from the oil and gas industry, characterize it for elements of interest (EOI), and pursue economically viable alternatives to recovering critical minerals and other EOI from produced water, other waters, and wastes.