Abstract
The environmental fate characteristics of industrial biocides used in oil and gas applications are of increasing concern due to the industry’s drive for sustainable best practices and regulatory pressure on water use and disposal. A detailed understanding of the environmental impact of biocides is critical to their safe use and requires extensive testing. This paper will review current data on the environmental fate and ecotoxicity of commonly used non-oxidizing and oxidizing biocides in oil and gas applications. The associated toxicity to non-target aquatic species and the ecotoxicity profiles for aquatic invertebrates, fish, and algae are presented. Environmental toxicity may be reduced or eliminated following degradation of the biocide active ingredients under environment conditions. Key elements of the environmental fate profile include biodegradability, bioaccumulation, end-product formation, and chemical stability (hydrolysis, photolysis). The specific pathways of biotic and abiotic decomposition and current methods for deactivation of the biocides are reviewed. Collectively, this information provides guidance on the selection and use of oil and gas biocides for various types of applications.
