Boris Muvrin

Injection Technology For SustainableEnvironmental Protection In ThePetroleum Industry

Since, petroleum industry is considered to be one of the main environmental polluters, increased attention is put on environmental protection during petroleum activities for minimising their negative environmental impact. During exploration, well stimulation and oil and gas production a certain amount of reservoir brine, solids and other wastes are produced. By using injection technology petroleum industry waste is injected into suitable underground geological formations, from where it originated and it is safely removed from the human biosphere. With this injection technology, both the liquid and solid phases are deposited simultaneously and safely into the selected formation. Compared to the injection technology, surface disposal of petroleum industry waste, along with its technological imperfections, is much more expensive and more environmentally intensive. This kind of waste disposal technology has been known and implemented for more than half a century in developed countries. For the last two the same technology has also been used in Croatia. At this moment, petroleum industry waste is in Croatia injected just at one oil field, but there are several projects that consider wells and geological structures suitable for disposal of this kind of waste. With the negative publicity regarding environmental impact in the past, and considering the new set of environmental laws and standards, the waste injection technology could be the solution for the petroleum industry on how to achieve sustainable waste management and diminish its impact on environmental balance that is predicted to be even greater. Furthermore, implementation of injection technology could also be the solution for greenhouse gas problem.