Managed Ecosystem Sequestering CO2 Using Produced Water
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Solution Overview
Problem
The oil and gas industry faces significant challenges in the handling and disposal of produced water, which is abundant and costly to treat, and there is a need for efficient and environmentally friendly solutions, especially in water-scarce areas where traditional methods are inadequate.
Innovation Solution
A managed ecosystem is created using produced water from oil and/or gas recovery operations to sustain saline-tolerant vegetation such as mangroves and seagrasses, which biologically sequesters atmospheric CO2 by photosynthesis and stores it in sediment, thereby addressing both water disposal and carbon sequestration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If produced water is treated and disposed of through conventional methods, then environmental compliance is achieved, but disposal costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful produced water waste stream into a beneficial resource for sustaining mangrove ecosystems. The produced water, after basic treatment to remove hydrocarbons and toxins, is used to irrigate mangroves which then sequester carbon dioxide and provide ecological benefits, transforming a costly disposal problem into a value-generating solution
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional system where produced water serves multiple purposes: it provides irrigation for mangrove vegetation, creates a habitat for ecological biodiversity, enables carbon dioxide sequestration, and reduces disposal costs. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the waste water treatment process generate additional environmental benefits
2Productivity
If produced water is injected into wells for waterflooding, then hydrocarbon production is maintained, but water to oil ratio increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts produced water from the conventional injection workflow and redirects it to a separate ecological application. By taking the produced water out of the waterflooding process, the system maintains hydrocarbon production through other means while using the extracted water for mangrove irrigation, thereby reducing the water to oil ratio
3Object-affected harmful factors
If saline-tolerant vegetation is planted in desert areas, then carbon sequestration is enhanced, but water availability becomes limiting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a self-sustaining system where mangroves are planted in basins that capture and retain produced water. The vegetation serves itself by utilizing the water it needs for growth from the surrounding produced water environment, eliminating the need for additional freshwater inputs while maintaining carbon sequestration capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces produced water as an intermediary substance that bridges the gap between the arid desert environment and the water-requiring mangrove vegetation. This intermediary water source, derived from oil and gas operations, enables the vegetation to thrive in otherwise water-scarce conditions while sequestering carbon
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively utilizes produced water, reduces disposal costs, and provides a significant carbon sequestration method, capable of capturing substantial CO2, while supporting ecosystems that can thrive in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
The managed ecosystem biologically sequesters carbon by photosynthetically absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere
Implementation Method 2
carbon is transformed as is known into carbon in biomass (trunks, branches, foliage, stems, and roots) and decomposition of carbon into soil within the ground medium
Data Source
AI summary
Managed ecosystems, methods for producing managed ecosystems and methods for using managed ecosystems for sequestering carbon dioxide are described herein. Produced water is obtained and purified to sustain a managed ecosystem with saline-tolerant vegetation. The managed ecosystem biologically sequesters carbon dioxide by photosynthetically absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and by decomposition into a layer of sediment on the ecosystem floor.