Aquafortus is advancing plans to commercialize its desalination technology for treating oilfield produced water, targeting contracts with major oil and gas companies in the Permian Basin. The company aims to build small-scale demonstration plants this year to prove its process, a critical step toward full-scale commercialization. This initiative addresses a pressing industry problem: the disposal of vast quantities of highly saline produced water, a byproduct of oil extraction where up to 10 barrels of water can be generated for every barrel of oil. With underground injection space decreasing and facing regulatory scrutiny, operators are seeking long-term solutions for water management.

Technology and Process

Aquafortus's system cleans produced water through a chemical absorption method, distinct from conventional thermal evaporation or reverse osmosis (RO). The process involves running brine wastewater through a chemical absorbent that extracts water molecules, leaving a heavy brine waste for disposal. The water-saturated absorbent is then treated with a food-grade regenerant chemical to separate the water, which undergoes final membrane cleaning. The dry absorbent is reused. This approach avoids the high energy costs of boiling and the need for repeated pre-treatment and replacement of expensive RO membranes, claiming cost savings of up to 70% compared to common desalination processes.

Targeted Applications and Market Opportunity

The cleaned water is permitted for industrial use, with a focus on two key markets: general manufacturing and data centre cooling. Large data centres consume substantial water—up to 5 million gallons daily—for cooling, drawing criticism for impacting community water sources. Recycling produced water for this purpose offers a dual solution: it provides oil and gas companies with a potential revenue stream while helping address the data centre industry's growing water demand. Industry insiders see a natural synergy, as shale producers could supply both water for cooling and natural gas for power generation to data centres.

Commercialization Path and Scale

The immediate plan involves finalizing contracts for two or three demonstration plants in the Permian, each with a 500-barrel-per-day capacity, based on the design of an existing test facility in Colorado City, Texas, which processes 2,000 bpd. Following successful demonstrations, the company intends to build full-scale commercial units. The envisioned scale ranges from 20,000 to 500,000 barrels per day, indicating significant industry interest. Aquafortus executives describe the company as being on a clear path to commercialization, with multiple on-site demonstrations and proposals for large projects planned for the near future.