Influence of powdered and granular activated carbon system as a pre-treatment alternative for membrane filtration of produced water

BACKGROUND: Membrane technology is used for the treatment of produced water enabling high permeate quality to meet discharge standards or potable and irrigation water quality standards. In this study, the effect of hybrid membrane-activated carbon processes on the performance of nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems treating mixed oil and gas field produced water was investigated. Different pre-treatment alternatives including combinations of microfiltration unit and powdered activated carbon (PAC) or granular activated carbon (GAC) systems were applied prior to nanofiltration and reverse osmosis processes.