Physico-chemical Evaluation of Produced Water of Umuechem Oil Fields in Niger Delta

Abstract

Management of produced water presents environmental challenges and costs to drilling, oil exploration, and refining operations. Both the formation water and injected water are eventually produced along with oil. Therefore, as the field becomes depleted with, the produced water content of the oil increases. The research was carried out to assess the physico-chemical composition of produced water from Umuechem oil field in Etche, Rivers State, Nigeria. Samples of produced water were obtained from the oil field were tested for Conductivity, TDS, Cl^-, SO^4-, Turbidity, Oil and grease, Alkalinity, PO^{4- ,} Phenol and Ammonia Hydrogen. The study confirms that the produced water of Umuechem oil field is acidic and has pH values ranging from 5.15-6.37 shown to be above the W.H.O permissible limits and therefore are toxic and deleterious to the environment. The trace heavy metals Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn, Mn in produced water have mean concentrations of 0.09795ppm, 0.4778ppm, 0.0337ppm, 0.263ppm and 0.04025ppm respectively. Only Fe and Pb showed concentrations above the US EPA permissible limits for discharge of produced water into the environment. At the moment, proper management practices are not only required for Produced Water treatment to meet regulatory agencies' specified water quality limits for safe discharge and/or reuse.