Cleaning Water Used In Energy Development
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
Firm Tests Water-recovery, Cleaning Technology In Oilsands
EDMONTON - A California company with roots in Edmonton is using Alberta's oilsands as a classroom for equipment that cleans, recycles and reduces water used in energy development.
Co-founded by a former research chair at the University of Alberta, Water Planet Engineering is testing and refining the technology with help from oil and gas companies in northern Alberta and in the Bakken oilfields in North Dakota and Montana.
The company manufactures mobile units that can be used in remote locations to separate oil from water and then purify it so it can be discharged, or reused commercially.
"Fresh water is a precious resource," says Subir Bhattacharjee, the firm's chief technology officer and a former researcher at the University of Alberta. "We need to understand we live in a very connected society, and water is the connection.
"It is absolutely critical for our survival."
The technology was in its infancy when employed in 2010 after the massive Deepwater Horizon well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers developing the equipment flew to Houston to meet with industry representatives, who then placed units on a half-dozen vessels helping with cleanup operations.
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