Improved oil recovery with organic wastes: the environmental impact of the technique

Resources of crude oil and natural gas are limited. In spite of this until recently, because of the low oil prices oil companies did not give high priority to improved oil recovery techniques. The financial situation dictated against investments in that direction. Within the last year, however, oil prices have nearly doubled. The topic of improved oil recovery should now find more interest than in the past decade. This paper investigates the possibility of using pyrolysis gases from organic wastes for improved oil recovery. A hydrogen containing gas obtained from the partial combustion of organic wastes such as plastics is injected in wells in order to obtain improved oil recovery. In contrary to common techniques like carbon dioxide injection, a chemical reaction is expected which results in a degradation of the molecular weight of the crude oil and makes it more prone to flow. This paper discusses the various aspects of the proposed technique, in particular its environmental impacts and the gain in natural resources that may be achieved.

• 1 INTRODUCTION

• 2 COMBINATION OF THERMAL DEGRADATION OF ORGANIC WASTE WITH IMPROVED OIL RECOVERY

• 3 ADVANTAGES OF THE PROCESS

• 4 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE PROCESS

• 5 CONCLUSIONS

• 6 REFERENCES