Challenges of petroleum wastewater treatment and development trends of advanced treatment technologies: A review

The production of petroleum involves significant water usage and generates substantial volumes of wastewater containing oil, grease, suspended particles, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other contaminants. This wastewater poses a serious challenge to global water resources, human health, and the environment. The complexity of petroleum wastewater, along with the limitations of traditional treatment methods, such as low efficiency, high costs, and potential secondary pollution risks, underscores the critical need for an efficient management strategy. Addressing the management of petroleum wastewater has become a pressing global issue, prompting the exploration of more effective treatment approaches. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the sources and characteristics of petroleum wastewater while discussing current treatment processes. It also delves into advanced treatment technologies like adsorption, membrane technology, and advanced oxidation processes, highlighting their advantages, disadvantages, research progress, and future development trends in remediating petroleum wastewater. By focusing on these advanced treatment methods, aim to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of petroleum wastewater treatment, offering insights that can guide the development of more effective management strategies. Through ongoing research and innovation in this field, there is potential to significantly improve the remediation of petroleum wastewater, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability and the protection of water resources.