Produced Water Technology

The oil and gas industry's largest waste stream, handled responsibly.

Teal Innovations is a produced water technology company. We develop treatment plants that process oilfield produced water at the wellhead, giving operators an environmentally sensible alternative to pumping it back underground.

21B bbl/yr
produced water generated by U.S. oil & gas wells
14M bbl/day
produced in the Permian Basin alone
300,000 ppm
typical salinity — nearly 9× seawater
The Problem

The water nobody wants

Every barrel of oil pumped in the Permian Basin brings up several barrels of salty wastewater with it. Operators pay to make that water disappear, and the volumes are only growing as fields mature.

21B bbl/yr
produced water generated across U.S. oil & gas operations
$2 – $12/bbl
cost to dispose of it via saltwater injection wells
300,000 ppm
typical salinity of Permian Basin produced water

Seismic risk

Injection wells are linked to induced seismicity across Oklahoma and Texas, drawing tightening regulatory limits on where and how much can be injected.

Environmental liability

A single spill or well-casing leak can contaminate an aquifer, creating cleanup liabilities that can run into the billions of dollars.

Water stress

The basin producing this water is one of the most water-stressed regions in the country, and every barrel injected is a barrel permanently removed from the cycle.

Growing volumes

Water cuts rise as fields mature, so disposal demand grows even where production is flat — and injection capacity is finite.

Our Approach

Treatment at the source, not disposal

We build plants that sit alongside the wells generating the water, treating it where it arises instead of trucking it to an injection site. Nothing in the process requires new science — every stage draws on established water-treatment and industrial process engineering.

1

Sited at the wellhead

Plants are built where the water is produced, cutting the trucking, handling and spill exposure that disposal logistics carry.

2

Proven process engineering

The treatment chain is assembled from well-understood, commercially available technology, chosen for reliability in field conditions rather than novelty.

3

An environmentally sensible outcome

The result is a responsible route for a waste stream that is otherwise buried — reducing reliance on injection and the risks that come with it.

Siting

Why West Texas

The Permian Basin isn't just where the waste stream originates — it's where every input the process needs is already cheap and abundant.

Feedstock at the wellhead

The Permian produces on the order of 14 million barrels of produced water a day — the plant sites next to its own raw material.

Cheap power, two ways

Waha Hub natural gas trades near $0.75/MMBtu, among the lowest in the country, while the region sits in the top 5% of U.S. solar resource.

Rail & road logistics

Class-I rail through Midland connects the site to Gulf Coast ports and inland markets.

A regulatory fit

Texas Railroad Commission and TCEQ frameworks are built around oilfield operations, with no state income tax and established water permitting.

The Bottom Line

A responsible answer to the industry's largest waste stream.

Produced water is not going away, and the volumes are rising. It deserves better than a hole in the ground.