Produced water from gas and oil operations is purportedly the largest
single source of waste generated in the U.S., with an annual productio
n rate of more than 2.7 bil t (3 bil ton). Results are presented from
bench-scale pilot tests of membrane ultrafiltration of produced water
obtained from three operating oil and gas wells. Ultrafiltration (UF)
reduced concentrations of grease and oil in the three produced waters
evaluated in this work to below current and anticipated regulatory lim
its. Permeation flux varied from one produced water to another. Becaus
e membrane cost is influenced by permeate flux, generalizations regard
ing the economic or technical feasibility of UF treatment of produced
water based on the limited number of laboratory and field rests perfor
med to date do not appear to be warranted.