Dealing with the by-products of oil and gas drilling in an environmentally friendly manner is an issue the energy industry has grappled with for years.
It is one that has captured the imagination of one Robert Gordon University (RGU) researcher who will present her work on the subject at the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining: Women in Materials event hosted by Shell, Aberdeen, today (Tuesday April 29).
Urenna Ekeh (30), a final year PhD researcher at RGU, is developing an eco-friendly demulsifier that will help separate drilling mud into pure water, oil and solids, as well as investigating the recycling of the recovered solids as nanoclay fillers in the production of nanocomposite materials which are used in the oil and gas and auto-mobile industries.
Urenna said: “The use and development of environmentally friendly separating products and techniques for oil and gas exploration and production practices is paramount in the industry today. This encourages the proper disposal of drilling fluids, produced water, oily solids and other oily waste water.
“The project is designed to carry out phase separation of waste components, allowing the recovered components to be made into useful resources. The research outcomes are aimed at saving operators money on oil spill cleanup and oil spill compensations and improve levels of sustainability within the industry, as well as creating new business ventures and jobs.”
Urenna will also talk about how her career has developed and progressed, her achievements and the challenges she has faced.
Materials, Minerals and Mining: Women in Materials event is taking place at Shell, Altens Farm Road, Aberdeen.