Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

The recovery of methanol used as a de-icer in disposed produced water (PW) is a challenge to the oil and gas industry. The PW can consist of as much as 90% methanol, making that methanol a substantial resource that can be recycled in SAGD operations or sold to alternative consumers as a byproduct. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)'s Centre for Energy Research and Clean Unconventional Technologies and their industry partner, Canadian company ChampionX, are focused on the recovery and recycling process of methanol from wastewater. This project will focus on the optimization of the Methanol Recovery Technology (MRT) process through designing, assembling and analyzing a novel, high-performance water pre-treatment system that will be integrated within one of the three methanol recovery pilot units in Alberta. Implementing an enhanced technology such as MRT will provide Canada with environmental benefits by reducing the disposal of the methanol in a variety of industries, such as the Canadian pulp and paper, biofuels and pharmaceutical industries by keeping carbon in a closed-loop, reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by incineration, and eliminating leaking and spill risks associated with conventional waste disposal. This provides industries with the ability to treat processed water to be reused in operations, reducing the need for clean water sources.