SPE 52730
Glycol Used for Natural Gas Dehydration: Evaluation of Subsurface Transport and
Fate Issues
J.A. Sorensen, S.B. Hawthorne, J.R. Gallagher, Energy & Environmental Research Center, and J.A. Harju, Gas Research
Institute
Copyright 1999, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 1999 SPE/EPA Exploration and Production
Environmental Conference held in Austin, Texas, 28 February–3 March 1999.
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Abstract
Triethylene glycol (TEG), diethylene glycol (DEG), and ethyl-
ene glycol (EG) are commonly used to dehydrate the natural
gas stream. These compounds may be introduced into the sub-
surface environment as a result of spills, leaks, mechanical
failures, and past disposal practices. The toxicity of the dehy-
dration glycols at concentrations typically found in the subsur-
face in the vicinity of a dehydration unit is generally consid-
ered to be low. However, the miscibility of the glycols sug-
gests that they may act as cosolvents for other more toxic, less
soluble, organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hy-
drocarbons (PAHs), thereby increasing the subsurface mobility
of those compounds. In 1998, a series of laboratory-based
research activities was initiated to determine 1) the nature of
cocontaminants that may be associated with the gas dehydra-
tion process, particularly spent glycols, 2) the biodegradability
of the dehyradation glycols under environmentally relevant
conditions in soils from three different gas-producing regions
of North America, and 3) the potential effect of the dehydra-
tion glycols on the subsurface mobility of PAHs in the same
three North American soils.
Introduction
Examination of the literature on gas industry wastes indicated
that wastes associated with glycols from gas dehydration op-
erations may be of some environmental concern. These re-
views concluded that 1) past disposal practices have resulted
in the release of glycol-related wastes into the subsurface envi-
ronment, 2) their physicochemical properties suggest that gly-
cols may be readily transported in the subsurface and act as
cosolvents, 3) very little research has been performed regard-
ing the biodegradability of gas industry glycols and their asso-
ciated wastes under environmentally relevant conditions, and
4) regulatory scrutiny of glycols has increased in recent years
(1).
Generally, adequate data exist to confirm the presence of
glycols and at least some of their biodegradation products and
other associated contaminants in soils, sediments, and
groundwater at the sites in question. However, analytical and
other difficulties have typically prevented the nature and extent
of glycol-related contamination from being delineated in detail
at individual sites. At the same time, limited work has been
done on the behavior of the chemical species in question in the
subsurface, and, therefore, little is known about their subsur-
face transport and fate. Air emissions from glycol-based gas
dehydration units have been regulated under the Clean Air Act
for a number of years, but the U. S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has recently added ethylene glycol (EG) to its
list of contaminants to be considered for regulation under the
Safe Drinking Water Act. This places the natural gas industry
in the difficult position of having to effectively address a con-
tamination issue that is neither well defined nor well under-
stood.
The research described in this paper has focused on subsur-
face transport and fate issues related to triethylene glycol
(TEG), diethylene glycol (DEG) and EG. TEG and DEG were
selected for examination because they are used in a vast ma-
jority of gas dehydration units, and EG was chosen because it
is currently under regulatory scrutiny as a drinking water pol-
lutant.
The intention of this research is to provide the natural gas
industry with data and insights that will enable it to 1) signifi-
cantly improve the assessment of subsurface glycol-related
contamination at sites where it is known or suspected to occur
and 2) make soundly based decisions concerning the remedia-
tion of that contamination.
Background
Water in natural gas can cause serious operational problems in
both the transmission and processing of the gas. The natural
gas industry has found that dehydration ensures smooth opera-
tion of gas transmission lines, prevents formation of gas hy-
2 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU
drates, and reduces corrosion. The most common dehydration
process used in the gas industry is the glycol absorp-
tion/stripping process. While the actual number of operating
glycol units is unknown, it is estimated that as many as 40,000
units exist in the United States and about 100,000 exist world-
wide (2); however, it is the authors’ belief that the actual num-
ber is significantly higher than that. In the United States, 90%
to 95% of the units process less than 10 million standard cubic
feet per day (mmscfd) of natural gas (2). No estimates were
available on the total number of glycol dehydration units oper-
ating in Canada, but they are very commonly used in Canadian
gas fields. The total volume of natural gas dehydrated in
North America each year is approximately 17–18 trillion cubic
feet (tcf) (3). While no figures were available on percentage
of gas dehydrated by glycol dehydrators, a literature search
and discussions with gas industry personnel indicate that a
large majority of the dehydration is done using glycol-based
units.
EG, TEG, DEG, tetraethylene glycol (TREG), and blends of
these glycol solutions have all been used in natural gas stream
dehydration processes for decades. Around 1950, TEG be-
came the most commonly used glycol because its higher boil-
ing point provided better water removal without its being
thermally decomposed (4). EG and TREG are used in some
specialized cases; however, TEG remains the most commonly
used glycol in natural gas dehydration processes. It has been
estimated that TEG is used in approximately 95% of glycol
dehydration units (3).
In terms of chemistry, glycols are aliphatic organic com-
pounds and are members of a group of chemicals referred to as
the dihydric alcohols (diols). This group has the general for-
mula CnH2n(OH)2 and is characterized by the presence of two
hydroxyl (OH−) functional groups linked to methylene (CH2)
subunits. Ethylene glycols have the general formula
HO(C2H4O)nH, where n can be 1 (monoethylene), 2 (dieth-
ylene), 3 (triethylene), or 4 (tetraethylene). Table 1 provides
some general physical and chemical properties of glycols
commonly used by the gas industry.
Physically, glycols are similar to water in that they are clear,
colorless, odorless liquids. However, compared to water, the
glycols have a greater specific gravity and viscosity at all tem-
peratures, a higher boiling point, and a lower freezing point.
Glycols are completely water-soluble and can also act as sol-
vents for some organic compounds, including most aromatic
compounds (5).
The absorption/stripping dehydration process in which the
glycols are used begins by scrubbing compressed wet inlet gas
to remove liquid and solid impurities. This is followed by
sending the scrubbed gas countercurrently through a liquid
glycol absorber. The lean (dry) glycol absorbs the water from
the wet gas stream, and the dried gas leaves the absorber for
further processing or transport. The rich glycol exits the bot-
tom of the absorber and, on some units, is sent through a gas-
driven or electric pump to a flash tank, where much of the ab-
sorbed natural gas is separated from the glycol solution. The
SPE 52730
glycol solution is then sent through a series of heat exchangers
and filters, after which water is either distilled or stripped from
the glycol solution in a regenerator (3). Rising steam in the
regenerator strips the water vapor from the rich glycol solu-
tion, and the glycol, carried by the rising vapor, is condensed
in the reflux section and washed back into the reboiler. The
regenerated, lean (dry) glycol is then cooled and returned to
the absorber (6). Fresh glycol solution that may be added to a
dehydrator for makeup or changeover operations is referred to
in this paper as “raw” glycol. As such, the raw glycol dis-
cussed later in this paper has not been exposed to a natural gas
stream.
Research Program Approach
The approach of this research program is to use a systematic
series of laboratory-based research activities that are focused
on the subsurface transport and fate of glycol-related wastes to
determine the potential environmental hazards that those
wastes may pose. The research activities can be grouped into
two areas: 1) characterization of glycol-related dehydration
wastes for cocontaminant organics and 2) determination of the
biodegradability of TEG under conditions that are relevant to
the subsurface environment. In order to generate widely ap-
plicable data, the biodegradation experiments were performed
on three distinctly different soils that were obtained from three
gas-producing areas of North America (New Mexico, Louisi-
ana, and Alberta).
The objectives of this research are to characterize the
chemical nature of spent TEG and EG from natural gas dehy-
dration units and to directly investigate the natural attenuation
processes that control the fate of TEG and DEG. The ultimate
goal is to provide the natural gas industry with presently un-
available data and insights that will enable glycol-related con-
tamination to be more effectively addressed where it is known
or suspected to occur in the subsurface.
Waste Characterization
The primary objective of the characterization activities was to
determine the gross chemical characteristics, identities, and
relative amounts of organic cocontaminants in spent glycols
and glycol-related dehydration wastes. Glycols and glycol-
related wastes derived from dehydration units that use TEG
and EG were characterized qualitatively and semiquantita-
tively. Particular focus was on species of high toxicological
and regulatory interest (e.g., benzene). This information will
ultimately be used to estimate the potential for facilitated
transport, to design experiments to determine the effect of co-
contaminants on glycol transport, and (more likely) to deter-
mine the effect of glycols on the transport of organic cocon-
taminants. Since the vast majority of regulated organics are in
the volatile and semivolatile range, the primary emphasis was
on these compounds.
Spent glycol solutions and other glycol-related dehydration
wastes that are derived from TEG-, DEG-, and EG-utilizing
dehydration units were collected for use in experimental ac-
SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES
tivities. Approximately 29 samples of rich, lean, and raw gly-
col solution were collected from 12 dehydration units from
eight gas-processing facilities in different gas-producing parts
of North America (Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma,
and Alberta, Canada). Samples were collected from a variety
of dehydration units in order to examine the heterogeneity
between wastes that may be caused by different gas composi-
tions, feed rates, and/or the use of various additives. Collection
of samples was conducted by EERC personnel to ensure the
consistency of sampling methods. Gas company personnel
familiar with the operation of each dehydration unit were
asked to fill out a questionnaire on the operating characteris-
tics of the sampled unit and the nature of the natural gas stream
itself.
Characterization of Cocontaminant Organics in
Glycol Wastes
The general experimental plan for determining the character of
cocontaminant organics in the glycol samples was as follows:
1. Samples of raw, rich, and lean TEG and EG were ana-
lyzed for gross characteristics, including elemental analyses
(C, H, O, N, and S) and total organic carbon (TOC).
2. Initial characterization of volatile and semivolatile co-
contaminant organics was performed on all samples. These
initial characterizations were performed to categorize the
overall chromatographic behavior of the volatile and semi-
volatile organics (following methylene chloride extraction).
Difficulty in extracting many volatile and semivolatile organic
pollutants of interest from glycol wastes was expected using
conventional (e.g., methylene chloride) approaches. There-
fore, the ability of the extraction methods was evaluated by
determining the recovery of appropriate deuterated spikes
(e.g., labeled BTEX [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xy-
lenes] compounds and several PAHs [polycyclic aromatic hy-
drocarbons]) from representative glycol wastes. In addition,
an innovative extraction method, solid-phase microextraction
(SPME), was evaluated for its ability to provide class-selective
removal of nonpolar organics (e.g., BTEX, PAHs) from glycol
wastes.
3. Identification of organic cocontaminants was performed
using organic solvent extracts (and SPME extracts) that were
characterized using gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy
(GC–MS) and gas chromatography–atomic emission detection
(GC–AED). GC–AED allows selective detection of individual
elements in individual organics. Elements monitored in this
study included C, H, N, S, and selected halogens. Semiquant-
itative determinations of significant (either in quantity or be-
cause of regulatory or toxicological interest) organic cocon-
taminants were performed using appropriate combinations of
GC–MS, GC–AED, and GC–flame ionization detection (FID).
These studies also included quantitative determinations of the
original glycols (whether TEG or EG).
3
Results of Characterization Activities
A total of 29 samples was collected from 12 glycol-based de-
hydration units at nine different gas-conditioning facilities and
analyzed as described above. All samples were composed pri-
marily of either TEG or EG, depending on what was used at
the sampled dehydrator. Glycol concentrations ranged from
54.2% to 92.1%. Table 2 qualitatively describes the relative
abundance of organic cocontaminants (BTEX, PAH, and al-
kanes) in samples from eight of the gas-processing facilities.
Table 3 quantitatively describes the content of organic cocon-
taminants from three of the gas-processing facilities. As ex-
pected, raw TEG and EG samples were typically observed to
be generally clean, although a sample from one site did contain
moderate levels of organic cocontaminants (toluene, benzene,
and naphthalene). Also as expected, rich glycol solutions typi-
cally included high concentrations of BTEX with smaller, but
potentially significant, concentrations of PAHs and alkanes.
The presence and abundance of organic cocontaminants in
lean glycol solutions was found to vary widely from facility to
facility, with relative concentrations ranging from low to high.
In fact, at some facilities it was difficult to differentiate be-
tween lean and rich samples based on the analytical results
alone. Figures 1–4 show GC chromatographs selected to il-
lustrate organic characteristics “typical” of raw, rich, and lean
glycol solutions. Other notable observations that resulted from
the characterization activities include the lack of significant
levels of chlorine- and bromine-containing organics and the
presence of significant organosulfur compounds in the rich EG
sample from Alberta. The organosulfur compounds in the
Alberta sample are not surprising, considering that the raw
natural gas stream at that particular facility may contain up to
25% H2S. Further, there is little or no use of chlorinated sol-
vents in natural gas processing.
Evaluation of Glycol Biodegradability
A number of attenuation mechanisms can affect the transport
and fate of organic compounds in the environment, but bio-
logical metabolism is often the most important of these
mechanisms. Therefore, in order to understand the ultimate
fate of organic compounds in the environment and the factors
that control the biological processes, biodegradation studies
are required. Biodegradation is typically composed of three
phases: acclimation of the microbial population to a particular
compound, logarithmic metabolism, and a plateau period.
Physical factors that can affect biodegradation include tem-
perature, pH, moisture content, contaminant concentrations,
size of the biodegrading microbial population, the availability
of oxygen or other nutrients, and other intrinsic factors specific
to the soil and to the contaminant. A determination of the
factors that control the biodegradation of TEG under environ-
mentally relevant conditions is critical for assessing remedial
options and predicting the ultimate environmental fate of these
compounds.
The biologically based experimental activities described
below were designed and performed to meet several objec-
4 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU
tives. The primary goals for the investigations of TEG and
DEG biodegradability are 1) to determine the biodegradation
parameters for TEG and DEG and 2) to evaluate the impact of
such key variables as soil/sediment type, contaminant concen-
trations, and oxygen availability on biodegradation. The ob-
jective of the planned experiments was to provide information
on the natural ability of the three selected soils to degrade
TEG and DEG. The general experimental plan follows.
Biodegradation testing was conducted to evaluate the length
of the acclimation phase, the rate constant for biodegradation,
and the extent of biodegradation for TEG and DEG in soils
collected from natural gas-producing regions of New Mexico,
Louisiana, and Alberta, Canada. Characterization data for
these soils are presented in Table 4. Biodegradation was
evaluated by respirometric methods following those of Bartha
and Pramer (7), which measure evolved carbon dioxide,
thereby indicating mineralization of the subject compound. All
experiments were conducted in soils at 25°C, 60% of the
moisture-holding capacity, with static incubation in the dark.
TEG and DEG concentrations of 200 and 1000 mg/kg were
chosen to represent environmentally significant values. Bio-
degradation kinetics with respect to oxygen were evaluated to
demonstrate the rates that may be obtained in unsaturated and
saturated soils and in anaerobic environments. The data from
this work will demonstrate the biodegradation kinetics in natu-
ral, unamended environments.
Results of Aerobic Biodegradation of TEG and DEG
Figures 5 and 6 show cumulative CO2 evolution from the min-
eralization of TEG under aerobic conditions over the course of
the experimental period (62 days) at concentrations of 200 and
1000 mg/kg, respectively. These data, summarized in Table 5,
show relative lag times, biodegradation rates, and extent of
mineralization for TEG in the three soils at 25°C. The data
indicate that TEG was biodegraded from 23.6% to 99.6% of
the theoretical possible in the sediments after a lag period
ranging from 2 to 13 days. Only rarely is the extent of biodeg-
radation, based on evolved carbon dioxide, observed to be
100%. This is because of the incorporation of carbon into
biomass. The amount of CO2 incorporated into biomass is a
function of the types and amounts of biomass present at the
start, the organic compound, and the conditions (pH, electron
acceptor, etc.). The fastest biodegradation rates were observed
in the Alberta sediment at both the low dose (200 mg/kg) and
the high dose (1000 mg/kg). Biodegradation of TEG in the
New Mexico sediment was similar to that in Alberta sediment
in rate and extent and length of the lag period at the low dose,
but was only poorly biodegraded at the higher dose. Biodeg-
radation of TEG in the Louisiana sediment was poor for both
the low and the high dose. Moreover, biodegradation of TEG
in Louisiana sediment at both doses and in the New Mexico
sediment at the high dose showed a simple arithmetic increase
in carbon dioxide, rather than the hyperbolic increase normally
associated with microbial metabolism. This arithmetic rather
than hyperbolic metabolism suggests that TEG is not allowing
SPE 52730
for microbial growth. The reason for this possible growth in-
hibition is not known, but may be a toxic effect. Support for
the theory that TEG may have a toxic effect on the Louisiana
and New Mexico sediments is given by Bringmann and Kühn
(8), who found that TEG showed a growth inhibition toxicity
threshold for Pseudomonas putida at 320 mg/L. The inhibi-
tion of growth and TEG metabolism in the Louisiana sediment
at the 200-mg/kg dose may be due to the lower pH of this
sediment (see Table 3) or because this sediment has been
shown in other experiments to have low microbial activity.
Aerobic biodegradation of DEG at a low dose is shown in
Figure 7. At this 200-mg/kg dose, the Alberta soil showed a
lag of 5.6 days, and a maximum rate of degradation of 1.6 mg
carbon dioxide evolved per 100 gdw per day. The New Mex-
ico soil showed a similar lag period, 6.1 days, but the rate was
about one-half of that seen with the Alberta soil (0.9 mg
CO2/100 gdw-d). Biodegradation of DEG in the Louisiana
soil was much slower, demonstrating a lag period of about 20
days, and a maximum rate of 0.5 mg CO2/100 gdw-d. The
extent of biodegradation seen in all three soils is similar,
ranging from 78% to 89% of theoretical possible. It is inter-
esting to compare the patterns of carbon dioxide evolution
noted in these three soils. For the Alberta soil, the curve is a
classical hyperbolic function (exponential increase, gradually
shifting to a plateau) with a lag period. In the New Mexico
soil, the curve shows a minor exponential increase, but quickly
shifts to an arithmetic increase, gradually flattening to a pla-
teau. In the Louisiana soil, the carbon dioxide evolution pat-
tern shows a very gradual increase and does not attain a pla-
teau.
Overall biodegradation of DEG at the higher dose of
1000 mg/kg was similar to that at the low dose, with the ex-
ception that the extent of biodegradation was lower and quite
different among the three soils, as shown in Figure 8. As with
the low dose, the Alberta soil shows a classic hyperbolic func-
tion with a lag period. The lag period was 5.4 days, with a
maximum rate of 3.1 mg CO2/100 gdw-d, and the extent of
biodegradation was 51% of theoretical possible. Biodegrada-
tion in the New Mexico soil showed a lag period of 4.7 days
and a maximum rate of 1.3 mg CO2/100 gdw-d, and the extent
of biodegradation was 25.6% of theoretical possible. The
Louisiana soil showed the poorest biodegradation of DEG,
with a lag period of almost 40 days, a maximum rate of 0.9
mg CO2/100 gdw-d, and the extent of mineralization was
19.3% of theoretical possible.
Results of Anaerobic Biodegradation of TEG
Figure 9 shows cumulative CO2 evolution from the minerali-
zation of TEG under anaerobic conditions over the course of
the experimental period (165 days) at a concentration of
1000 mg/kg. These data, summarized in Table 6, show rela-
tive lag times, biodegradation rates, and extent of biodegrada-
tion for TEG in the three soils at 25°C. TEG was biodegraded
under anaerobic conditions in the Alberta sediment after a lag
period of 13.6 days. The extent of biodegradation seen in the
SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES 5

Alberta sediment (64.4% of theoretical possible) suggests that References

during the 165-day period, the TEG was essentially completely 1. Sorensen, J.A., Fraley, R.H., Gallagher, J.R., and Schmit, C.R.,
metabolized. The rate of TEG biodegradation in Alberta sedi- “Background Report on Subsurface Environmental Issues
ment was 27% of that found at the same dose under aerobic Relating to Natural Gas Sweetening and Dehydration
conditions. Biodegradation of TEG in the Louisiana and New Operations,” report for Gas Research Institute Contract GRI-
95/0143 (1996).
Mexico sediments was much slower than for Alberta. Calcu- 2. Grizzle, P.L., “Glycol Mass-Balance Method Scores High for
lated lag periods for Louisiana and New Mexico are low, but Estimating BTEX, VOC Emissions,” Oil and Gas Journal, 70,
kinetics appear to be arithmetic, again suggesting inhibition of 61 (1993).
growth in these sediments. 3. Thompson, P.A., Cunningham, J.A., and Berry, C.A., “PC
Experiments to evaluate the biodegradation of DEG under Program Estimated BTEX, VOC Emissions, Glycol-Reboiler
anaerobic conditions were initiated at the EERC in October, Emissions Conclusion,” Oil and Gas Journal, 41, 36 (1993).
1998. The experimental activities were not complete, and 4. Pearce, R.L., “Fundamentals of Gas Dehydration with Glycol
therefore no data were available at the time of publication. Solutions and Glycol Analysis Dehydrator Problem Solving,”
presented at the Gas Conditioning Conference, University of
Oklahoma (1982), 58 p.
Implications 5. Dow Chemical Company, “Latest Material Safety Data Sheets
The results of the characterization investigations have demon- and/or Sales Specs from the Dow Chemical Company,”
strated that a range of organic cocontaminants (e.g., BTEX, Midland, Michigan (1993).
PAHs, alkanes, and other process-related organic cocontami- 6. Ballard, D., “The Fundamentals of Glycol Dehydration,”
nants) is associated with glycols used for natural gas dehydra- Coastal Chemical Co., American Institute of Chemical
tion, particularly “rich” glycols. This suggests that at gas in- Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana (1986).
dustry sites where rich or lean dehydrator glycols are known to 7. Bartha, R., and Pramer, D., “Features of a Flask and Methods
have been released to the subsurface environment, such co- for Measuring the Persistence and Biological Effects of
contaminants could also be present. The association of these Pesticides in Soils,” Soil Science, 10, 68–70 (1965).
8. Bringmann, G. and Kühn, R., “Comparison of the Toxicity
organic cocontaminants with the glycols may be problematic
Thresholds of Water Pollutants to Bacteria, Algae and Protozoa
from two angles. First, the presence of cocontaminants could in the Cell Multiplication Test,” Water Research 14, 231–241
affect the rate and/or extent of glycol biodegradation, thereby (1980).
complicating remediation efforts. Second, the glycols in water
could act as a cosolvent and greatly increase the transport of
the organic cocontaminants (or any other organic compounds
that the glycols might happen to come into contact with) be-
yond what would normally be predicted. Future investigations
of the subsurface environmental effects of dehydration glycols
will be designed to determine the effect of glycols on the
transport of organic cocontaminants.
Another lesson that stands out from the results of the re-
search is that site-specific variables need to be considered
when assessing glycol-related contamination in the subsurface.
For instance, the results of the biodegradability evaluations,
which consistently show biodegradation to be inhibited in the
Louisiana soil, suggest that soil type may be an important fac-
tor in predicting the ultimate fate of TEG and DEG in the sub-
surface environment. The characteristics of the raw gas stream,
which are typically very site-specific, can also have a tremen-
dous effect on the nature of the organic cocontaminants in a
rich glycol, as evidenced by the organosulfur compounds pres-
ent in the samples from the sour gas fields of Alberta.

Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Marc Kurz of the EERC for his ef-
forts in obtaining the glycol samples and Lori Gunderson for
her assistance in preparing this paper. The authors also want to
thank the many gas-processing plant managers who provided
the samples that made this research possible.
6 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU SPE 52730

Table 1. General physical and chemical properties for selected glycols.1

EG DEG TEG TREG
Molecular Weight 62.1 106.1 150.2 194.2
Boiling Point 387.3/197.4 473.8/245.5 550.0/287.8 618.1/325.6
@760 mm Hg,
°F/°C
Freezing Point, 7.9/13.4 16.4/8.7 19.0/7.2 15.1/9.4
°F/°C
Flash Point, °F/°C 247/119 281/138 325/163 400/204
Specific Grav- 1.110 1.111 1.120 1.123
ity@ 25°C
Vapor Pressure, <0.1 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01
mm Hg @ 25°C
Aqueous Solubil- Completely Completely Completely Completely
ity miscible miscible miscible miscible
Color Clear, color- Clear, color- Clear, color- Clear, col-
less less less orless
1
Dow Chemical Company, 1992.

Table 2. BTEX, etc., in glycol samples, L = Low, M = Moderate,

and H = High concentrations.
Rich Lean Raw
Site 1 TEG L L L
Site 2 TEG H, H1 H M
EG (amine heater) L
Site 3 TEG H, H1 H L
EG (amine heater) L
Site 4 TEG H L L
Site 5 TEG M M M
Drip L
Site 6 EG H L L
Site 7 TEG H M L
Site 8 TEG H M L
1
Two Samples analyzed.
SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES 7

Table 3. BTEX, etc., in glycol samples, 1998.

Site Benzene Toluene Ethylbenzene m-,p-xylene o-xylene Napthalene
4 – Rich 150 260 34 190 63 <0.1
4 – Lean 0.9 0.3 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1
6 – Rich 480 250 7.5 64 27 <0.1
6 – Lean 7.9 5.0 0.6 2.3 2.3 <0.1
8 – Rich 100 160 21 80 32 28
8 – Lean 4.6 2.3 0.6 1.6 0.8 15
1
Concentration in µg/g.

Table 4. Base sediment characterization.

Alberta Louisiana New Mexico North Dakota
Parameter Sediment Sediment Sediment Sediment
Sand (0.074 to 2 mm), % 25 15 39 NA1
Silt (0.005 to 0.074 mm), % 33 55 35 NA
Clay (<0.005 mm), % 42 31 26 NA
Total Organic Carbon, % 2.0 0.7 0.3 5.6
Carbonate, % 4.7 0.2 1.6 0.9
Cation Exchange Capacity,
milliequivalents/100 g 25.0 10.8 12.5 37.5
pH 7.6 5.2 7.7 7.2
1
Not available.

Table 5. Biodegradation parameters for TEG in the three soils at 25°C, 60% of the
moisture-holding capacity, with static incubation in the dark for 62 days under aerobic
conditions.
Alberta Louisiana New Mexico

Dose, mg/kg 200 1000 200 1000 200 1000

Lag Period, d 3.7 4.4 13.1 1.9 2.4 13.1

Maximum Rate,1 2.56 5.81 0.42 0.67 2.03 0.75

mg CO2 /100g-d ±0.36 ±0.29 ±0.02 ±0.03 ±0.15 ±0.02
Theoretical Degra- 99.6 71.5 53.2 23.6 93.3 31.5
dation, %
R2 for Regression 0.981 0.990 0.990 0.984 0.994 0.990
1
Plus or minus the standard error.
8 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU SPE 52730

Table 6. Biodegradation parameters for TEG in the three soils at 25°C, 60% of the
moisture-holding capacity, with static incubation in the dark for 165 days under
anaerobic conditions.

Alberta Louisiana New Mexico

Lag Period, days 13.6 2.7 1.0

Maximum Rate, 1 1.59 0.20 0.60
mg CO2 /100g-d ±0.06 ±0.01 ±0.03
Theoretical Degra- 64.4 8.1 32.3
dation, %
R2 for Regression 0.991 0.983 0.982
1
Plus or minus the standard error.
SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES 9

Fig. 1—Gas chromatogram of rich glycol from Site 2.

Fig. 2—Gas chromatogram of lean glycol from Site 8.

10 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU SPE 52730

Fig. 3—Gas chromatogram of rich glycol from Site 6.

Fig. 4—Gas chromatogram of raw glycol from Site 3.

SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES 11

Fig. 5—Cumulative net carbon dioxide evolution for TEG at doses of 200 mg/kg under aerobic conditions.

Fig. 6—Cumulative net carbon dioxide evolution for TEG at doses of 1000 mg/kg under aerobic conditions.
12 J.A. SORENSEN, S.B. HAWTHORNE, J.R. GALLAGHER, J.A. HARJU SPE 52730

Fig. 7—Cumulative net carbon dioxide evolution for DEG at doses of 200 mg/kg under aerobic conditions.

Fig. 8—Cumulative net carbon dioxide evolution for DEG at doses of 1000 mg/kg under aerobic conditions.
SPE 52730 GLYCOL USED FOR NATURAL GAS DEHYDRATION: EVALUATION OF SUBSURFACE TRANSPORT AND FATE ISSUES 13

Fig. 9—Cumulative net carbon dioxide evolution for TEG at doses of 1000 mg/kg under anaerobic conditions.