Use of Water from Petroleum Production in Colombia for Soil Irrigation as a Sustainable Strategy Adapted from the Oman Desert

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 14; no. 22; p. 14892
• Main Authors: Ortega-Ramírez, Angie Tatiana, Angulo-De Castro, Ivonne, Becerra, Nubia Liliana, Gómez Caipa, Juan Camilo, Huerta-Quiñones, Victor Alexei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2022
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Artificial wetlands; Deserts; Environmental aspects; Heavy metals; Hydrocarbons; Irrigation; Irrigation farming; Irrigation water; Livestock; Management; Methods; Microorganisms; Multiple criterion; Oil and gas industry; Oils & fats; Petroleum industry; Petroleum production; Petroleum products; Production management; Seedlings; Sustainability; Sustainable development; Sustainable production; Water; Water management; Water quality; Water quality management; Water reuse; Water treatment; Water use; Wetlands; Colombia; Oman
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su142214892

Production water represents a major sustainability challenge for oil and gas industries, which is why various strategies have emerged globally to encourage its reuse in proactive projects. One of the most recognized strategies has been developed in the Omani desert where artificial wetlands were designed to physically and biologically treat production water. The present study proposes to adapt this strategy to a Colombian context to further study the sustainability of production water reuse. The methodology of this study consists of three phases: evaluate in-field production water through the characterization of irrigation water, identify and prioritize the variables of said strategy, and propose an adequate soil irrigation strategy for a Colombian field. An expert matrix and multicriteria analysis are used to identify the level of interaction among the variables presented, according to the criteria of experts in the field of sustainable production water management. Water quality was ranked by the experts as the most important single variable. On a scale of 1–5, the variables with the highest level of interaction (2.8) are water quality and the type of treatment seedlings, and the variables with the lowest level of interaction (1.3) are additional water treatment systems and final water use. These results have led to the formation of a hierarchy of variables according to impact, which has been used to create a triple bottom line diagram and demonstrate the feasibility of implementing the Omani strategy in Colombia.