Coalbed methane (CBM) development in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of
Wyoming and
Montana has increased dramatically in the past 10 years. Management of co-produced CBM sodic water is a major environmental challenge because of its quantity and quality, as well as serious effects on soil properties. The potential utilization of a synthetic zirconium phosphate (ZrP) was examined in this study. It has a cation-exchange capacity (CEC) as high as 6.67 mmol/g. It is found that that one metric tonne (1,000 kg) of Zr-P could remove all the Na
+, Ca
2+ and Mg
2+ and K
+ in 220,000 L (~58,000 gallons or 1,400 barrels) of a surrogate CBM water with an initial Na
+ of 411 mg/L and a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) of 30. The spent ZrP can be easily regenerated for reuse without loss of its capacity. The column performance could be well described by a two-parameter model. The use of ZrP would be beneficial if the CBM water contains high amount of HCO
3- and CO
32-, it not only remove Na
+ from water but also reduce the amount of HCO
3- and CO
32- in water. By coupling the ZrP treatment process with other water treatment processes to further adjust the water quality to desired one (i.e., SAR < 10), it would appears to be an effective and potentially promising technology for maximizing the beneficial use of poor-quality CBNG in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Ongoing studies are to optimize the water treatment techniques.