David Burnett was awarded the Health, Safety, Environment/Sustainable Development Award at the 7th Annual World Oil Awards on 16 October, 2008 for making significant strides in protecting the environment through technical innovation. David Burnett is the Director of Technology for the Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI) within the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Ten years ago, Burnett saw the need for technology to handle the increasing amounts of oilfield brine being produced in Texas and throughout the United States and developed the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Oilfield Brine Desalination Project. He led a group of scientists and engineers to develop a cost-effective process to take the oilfield brine and, rather than dispose of it, remove the hydrocarbons and other impurities, desalinate it, and make it available for beneficial use as a freshwater resource or for re-use in fracturing operations. Burnett’s team uses advanced membrane technology to eliminate suspended and dissolved materials from brackish and saline water feeds. Texas A&M has licensed the technology to a commercial operator, M-I SWACO, and has promoted the adoption of his technology to the field of brackish groundwater desalination for municipal purposes in arid areas of Texas. From the website
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