Treatment of Drilling Wastewater by Combined Coagulation-Ultraviolet/Fenton-Pressurized Biological Processes

An integrated technique containing coagulation, ultraviolet/Fenton oxidation, and pressurized biological processes was provided for the treatment of wastewater generated from drilling operation where sulfonated muds were used. Ultraviolet/Fenton oxidation process was used to improve biodegradability of effluent after coagulation [assessed through a ratio of biological oxygen demand to chemical oxygen demand (COD) (B/C) index]. Pressurized biological experiments were used to further remove COD so as to meet the wastewater discharge standard. The results showed that coagulation pretreatment could help remove most of CODs (70–80%) in drilling wastewater. A 57% reduction in COD was obtained in the ultraviolet/Fenton oxidation process with 0.8 Qth H2 O2 (in 30 min), and the biodegradability was significantly improved (B/C was increased from 0.03 to 0.47). The pressurized biological process could help speed up the reaction process with a saved aeration time of 66.7% under a system pressure of 0.2 MPa (in comparison with the condition of a normal pressure). The overall COD removal efficiency was about 95% and the COD level in the final effluent was less than 100 mg/L, which satisfied the wastewater discharge standard.