Circular Economy Practices Through Water Management
Authors: Albusaimi Fahad A. , Al Dabbous Mohammad S. , Al Yateem Rakan , Pretorius Francois P. 
Published: September 2024

This paper aims to explore the feasibility of implementing Circular Economy (CE) practices for produced water management in the oil and gas industry. The scope of this paper is to evaluate the circularity/technical aspects of 4 Circular Economy practices of produced water management: Disposal Wells, Pits/Evaporation Ponds, Wastewater Reclamation for Agricultural Purposes, and Industrial Symbiosis.

CE is a concept that aims for the reduction of waste and utilization/consumption of valuable resources. This concept promotes re-use and recycling of products/materials. Also, it aims to extract maximum value, thus, this paper's goal is to cover some CE benefits such as "Reduced Waste"; and "Conservation of Resources".

The overall approach involves a comprehensive review of CE practices for produced water management. The review will be conducted utilizing a systematic approach to identify circularity in disposal wells which involves injecting produced water into drilled disposal wells for active/inactive reservoir. Pits/Evaporation ponds where waste water exists can be re-utilized for well control, or steam generation for resource recovery. Wastewater reclamation for agricultural purposes involves using technologies to treat produced water and make it suitable for re-use into facilities. Industrial symbiosis which explores opportunities that can facilitate the re-use of produced water in other industries.

Between the mentioned CE practices, each has its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the specific circumstances. The observations will highlight the opportunities and challenges associated with each CE practice. However, industrial symbiosis appears to be a promising approach because it can promote resource efficiency external use of water with or without initial treatment and reduce waste while also providing opportunities for other industries to benefit from produced water. The study suggests that amongst the 4 CE practices, it is wise to select them based on the feasibility to ensure an effective way to manage produced water from oil and gas operations.

The industrial symbiosis practice involves using waste products from one industry as raw materials for another industry. For example, produced water from oil and gas operations can be re-used in other industries such as agriculture, construction dust suppression, and cooling process. However, adequate stakeholder engagement with financial incentives is necessary to ensure the success of this approach. Each CE practice can promote resource efficiency, reduce waste, and provide opportunities for other industries to benefit from produced water. Furthermore, this study will contribute to the other Circular Economy practice by providing a comprehensive evaluation as well.

This paper presents novel information on the feasibility of implementing Circular Economy practices for produced water management in the oil and gas industry. The paper evaluates 4 CE practices that have not been comprehensively evaluated in previous studies together. The paper also provides recommendations for implementing these practices that can be of benefit to the petroleum industry.