Beyond dispersed oil, produced water carries dissolved aromatics and organic acids that physical separation cannot remove. These fractions govern toxicity and frequently set the limiting case for reuse.
Deoiling, softening and polishing of produced water for discharge, reuse or reinjection.
Flotation for removal of dispersed oil and fine solids from oilfield water.
Primary gravity and plate separation of free oil and solids ahead of polishing.
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes are soluble, volatile and toxicologically significant, driving discharge and reuse limits.
Heavier polyaromatics and phenols partition between phases and resist simple separation.
Low-molecular-weight organic acids contribute to dissolved organic carbon and corrosivity.
Counter-current stripping transfers volatile aromatics to a gas stream for the soluble, volatile fraction.
Activated carbon and tailored media adsorb dissolved hydrocarbons to low residuals.
Acclimatised biological systems mineralise BTEX and organic acids where space and salinity allow.
Analytical methods distinguish dissolved from dispersed oil, which determines the treatment that will work.
Total petroleum hydrocarbon and speciated analysis verify removal against the target.
Whole-effluent toxicity testing confirms that dissolved-organic removal meets environmental criteria.
Reynolds & Bauhm delivers this scope as part of an integrated, single-point engagement matched to your project, programme and regulatory regime.
Beyond the free oil that a separator removes, produced water carries dispersed oil droplets and dissolved organic compounds that demand more than gravity separation. We target these with a staged approach — enhanced flotation or hydrocyclones for dispersed oil, then adsorption, advanced oxidation or biological polishing for the dissolved fraction — selected against the hydrocarbon profile and the discharge or reuse limit. Because produced-water quality shifts over a field’s life, the scheme is designed with the turn-down and robustness to cope. The result is treated water that meets overboard, reinjection or reuse specifications for the organic content that simple oil-water separation alone can never reach.
Our expertise spans multiple industries with sector-specific water treatment solutions.