If you have already read our article on the pros and cons of a Genesis Water Technologies AOP advanced oxidation system, you are probably curious to know about some examples of how our systems have helped some of our clients.

We will look at a couple of case studies from the oil and gas industry, but first, let’s talk about the potential Advanced Oxidation has for both municipal and industrial water & wastewater treatment.

Wastewater Reuse and Drinking Water Treatment

Water scarcity is a growing issue in the world. Even if water is classified as a renewable resource, it still won’t last forever, especially at the current rates it is being used.

Between drinking water and water for industrial use, demand for freshwater is at an all-time high. In many locations across the US and around the world, when it has been used this water has been discharged into nearby water sources.

While many places in the world do have standard water treatment regulations and treatment systems in place, others do not. This leaves parts of the world with surface and groundwater contaminated with pathogens and industrial pollutants.

Water in such a state should be unusable without treatment, but some towns, cities, and countries across the world do not have a choice. And even in some of the places that do, including the USA and other industrialized nations, some pollutants are nearly impossible to remove by conventional methods such as PFAS and other emerging contaminants.

This is how so many millions of people across the world end up sick or dead due to unforseen industrial or pathological contaminants, and that’s not even counting the people who don’t have regular access to water period; polluted or not.

So, how do you tackle water scarcity and contamination in one integrated solution?

Through reuse and sustainable treatment. For particularly hard to treat pollutants, the AOP advanced oxidation process is a highly effective treatment method. It works well for water treatment and potential wastewater reuse in industries with toxic micropollutants and high COD levels (i.e. pharmaceuticals, agriculture, oil/gas, textile, etc.).

It can also be beneficial in treating drinking water sources that may be downstream of those industrial facilities or contaminated by other emerging micropollutants or pathogens.

Using AOP advanced oxidation, industrial companies can treat wastewater to a point that it can be reused within their plant, sustainably discharged to a municipal sewer without restriction or potentially sold for use in nonpotable applications like irrigation.

Genesis Water Technologies (GWT), in particular, is always looking to help companies and communities improve their treatment results so that they have access to innovative, safe drinking water and wastewater treatment solutions. We design, use and optimize advanced water treatment technologies like AOP advanced oxidation to provide our clients and partners with the best possible results for their water & wastewater requirements.

We assist them in achieving their production and sustainability goals while keeping the worlds’ waterways clear of emerging pollutants.

GWT has highlighted such experience within the oil and gas industry, using advanced oxidation to help an oil produced water operation and a petrochemical refinery to reuse and discharge their wastewater safely and efficiently.

Genesis also has additional experience in other industries including pharmaceuticals and drinking water treatment for emerging micropollutants such as PFAS as well.

Case Studies

A petrochemical refinery in Egypt was looking for a treatment process that could reduce BOD, COD, oils, TSS, and phenols in order to meet regulations on discharge limits. An advanced oxidation system was used in the tertiary stage to reduce the phenols to an acceptable level for discharge into the Mediterranean Sea. The AOP advanced oxidation system was used in conjunction with a pre-existing oil separator as well as an electrocoagulation unit and microbubble technology. Even with the added challenge of adding in another building to house certain components as per site requirements, the capital and operating costs were lower than they would have been with a chemical treatment system.

Another project involved an oil company that sought to reuse produced water from

some of their oil wells in a centralized processing location. The produced water contained components such as color, turbidity, TDS, hardness, nitrate, iron, sulfate, BOD, COD, and hydrocarbon. The system solution included an advanced oxidation system, specialized backwash filtration systems, and reverse osmosis desalination all following an oil/water separation treatment to remove the free hydrocarbons.

All of the suspended solids were removed from the produced water along with color, while the heavy metals were oxidized and TDS levels were reduced from 30,000 to 500 mg/L. Sludge production was also decreased by the system, and what was produced passed toxicity tests. Overall, it reduced operating and water disposal costs thanks to the reuse.

The oil and gas industry is a significant user of water for production requirements, requiring nearly twice the volume of water to produce a single barrel of oil. But, with an AOP advanced oxidation treatment system in place, most of that water can easily be reused or safely discharged into the environment.

However, AOP isn’t just useful in the oil and gas industry. Industries, such as pharmaceuticals, energy, food/beverage, and others produce wastewater with hard to remove micropollutants can benefit from the integration of this treatment method.

Genesis Water Technologies has the expertise and experience to assist industries and municipal entities dealing with these emerging pollutant issues.

Want to know how Genesis Water AOP advanced oxidation system has benefited other industries and how it could improve your water treatment results? Give us a call at 1-877-267-3699 or reach out to us via email at customersupport@genesiswatertech.com for a free initial consultation to discuss your particular application.