LiqTech Receives First U.S.-Based Oil & Gas Produced Water Order As Part Of New Agreement With Razorback Direct

Author: Benzinga Newsdesk | March 12, 2024 09:08am

LiqTech International, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIQT), a clean technology company that manufactures and markets highly specialized filtration products and systems, today announced the receipt of a significant order for a containerized pilot system for produced water treatment from Razorback Direct Oilfield Solutions and Services LLC, a Houston based company providing water treatment solutions consultancy for oil & gas water treatment in the U.S. This order becomes the first U.S.-based oil & gas produced water order for LiqTech, marking a significant milestone in the Company's efforts to expand it operations in North America.

In February, LiqTech entered into a distribution agreement with Razorback Direct to commercialize its produced water treatment filtration for re-injection and reuse, as well as lithium harvest in the U.S. including Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

The containerized pilot system that Razorback Direct has acquired will be used at a customer site to test, demonstrate and document the efficiency of LiqTech's ultrafiltration technology in treating produced water to facilitate beneficial industrial reuse and meet current and future regulatory requirements. Longer term, the strategic intention is to use the results from this pilot operation as the basis to design and implement full-scale commercial systems for the onshore oil & gas application in the U.S.

The pilot system leverages LiqTech's proven silicon carbide ceramic membranes technology and is similar, yet further developed from, the commercial test unit that was deployed in May 2022 in the Middle East. The Middle East system has been successfully operating for the past two years, with more than 99% of the feedwater passing through delivered back as clean brine (permeate), exceeding the performance requirements originally defined by the end user. Furthermore, the system operates with a minimal amount of chemicals while demonstrating excellent energy efficiency.

Razorback Direct invests most of its research and development focus on the beneficial reuse and recycling of produced water. Their end goal is to help operators lower their OpEx by deploying highly efficient chemistry enabled solutions. The company's core mission revolves around managing natural resources, reducing waste and assisting oil and gas operators extract the most value from subsurface produced resources. The newly formed collaboration with LiqTech, along with the recent order, enhances Razorback Direct's produced water treatment value proposition by bringing highly complementary ceramic ultrafiltration technology to customers.

Fei Chen, CEO of LiqTech, commented, "Produced water treatment for the onshore gas & oil industry in the U.S is one of the key strategic focus areas for LiqTech. As freshwater resources have gradually become more constrained in the U.S., the ability to use produced water to offset freshwater demand both inside and outside the oilfield has become increasingly necessary from an OpEx, regulatory and environmental point of view. We are pleased that our distribution agreement with Razorback Direct signed only a month ago has already resulted in a highly interesting pilot project that we believe will potentially pave the way for full-scale implementation of our technology."

Razorback Direct President & CEO Ray Juman, commented, "The ability to demonstrate the capability of LiqTech's system in a real world, onsite scenario in the U.S. offers a highly compelling opportunity for the industry to once again define its lead role in the preservation of a vital natural resource. This first operation signals our growing commitment towards this initiative. We are very proud of our ability to collaborate with LiqTech, and provide a platform for novel engineering applications with heightened efficacy enabled via the prudent use of chemistry."

Posted In: LIQT