Project PARETO – DOE’s Produced Water Optimization Initiative

By 2030, oil & gas plays across the United States are expected to produce over 60 million barrels of water every day. Most of this water is characterized by high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentrations, exceeding 300,000 mg/L in some plays. Even though many upstream operators strive to reuse produced water for hydraulic fracturing, disposal continues to be the leading water management practice across the United States. This talk will focus on the development, demonstration, and deployment of a novel optimization framework for produced water management and beneficial reuse. The framework is designed to identify cost-effective and environmentally sustainable produced water management, treatment, and reuse solutions. Specifically, the proposed platform will support decision-makers with the: (1) coordination of produced water deliveries, (2) buildout of the produced water infrastructure in terms of pipelines and storage facilities, (3) the selection of effective treatment technologies, (4) the placement and sizing of treatment facilities, (5) the identification of beneficial water reuse options, and (6) the distribution of treated produced water and/or concentrated brine for beneficial reuse. This talk will also discuss opportunities and challenges associated with the recovery of critical minerals (e.g., Lithium) from oil & gas produced water.