A Cleaner Course for Offshore Water Trouble

Pilot study shows integrated process could cut discharges and improve efficiency

27 Aug 2025

A new pilot-scale study has reported early progress in using a hybrid treatment system to manage produced water from offshore oilfields, an area facing growing regulatory and environmental pressure.

Researchers tested a combined process using electro-oxidation, dissolved air flotation and microfiltration on real offshore produced water. The system recorded a 31.6 per cent drop in oil content, removed 98 per cent of turbidity and increased membrane permeate flux more than thirteenfold compared with baseline operations.

The authors said the pairing of electro-oxidation with flotation and membrane steps improved separation efficiency and reduced membrane fouling, two factors that could help shrink the physical footprint of treatment units and lower chemical use on offshore platforms.

The set-up remains at bench to pilot scale and is not yet suitable for direct deployment on production facilities. But the study indicated that integrated treatment trains could support lower discharge levels and reduce waste volumes as operators respond to tighter sustainability targets.

Further development will depend on verifying energy requirements, electrode performance and membrane durability in marine conditions where salinity, temperature shifts and variable flow rates can affect long-term operation. Additional trials will be needed to confirm whether the gains observed in short tests can be sustained at scale.

If these results hold, offshore producers could move towards more resource-efficient water management, an area increasingly linked to both compliance and operational resilience.