 Email : zafifah.zamrud@gmail.com
 Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd. Ghazali Mohd. Nawawi
 Research Title : Development of a Novel Separation System for The Recovery of Cesium Formate Brine from Reservoir Drilling Fluid using Chitosan and Sago Based Membranes
Research Summary :
Conventional mechanical filtration (centrifuge) supplemented by chemical treatment is the current technology used for the recovery of cesium formate from drilling fluids. The recovery of cesium formate using the conventional technology is only about 80%. Furthermore, reclamation of cesium formate brine is necessary due to the inherent high price of extracting cesium and its limited long term availability. Therefore, new technology and/or approach to recover cesium formate are critical. In this research, we propose the recovery of cesium formate by the utilization of hydrophilic membranes for the removal of water content from the brine solution via pervaporation. The recovery of cesium formate using this novel technology will be increased up to 99%. The success of this research is critical for the development of recovery operation of the revolutionary cesium formate brine from drilling fluids. The findings of the research will demonstrate that this novel technology has tremendous potential for the complete recovery of cesium formate brine, which in turn benefits the oil and gas drilling industry. Although chitosan based membranes have been used in various applications, no research has been reported on the use of chitosan membranes in the recovery of brine solution from drilling fluids. In addition, no published data on the utilization of sago as a membrane material has been reported. This research provides a good starting point for the future research in the use of sago for the development of hydrophilic membranes.
