Coconut Shell Activated Carbon (CSAC) as a Potential Treatment for Calcium Ion Contamination in Water-Based Drilling Mud

This study is entitled “Coconut Shell Activated Carbon (CSAC) as a Potential Treatment to Calcium Ion Contaminated Water-Based Drilling Mud”. The CSAC functions as a treatment that is most-known in water-treatment plants for its ability to calcium and magnesium ions in water. For this reason, the proponents aim to determine its potential to adsorb calcium-ion in water-based drilling mud, along with the evaluation of the changes in the properties of a drilling mud with the presence of CSAC. The proponents prepared four samples, each with three trials. The samples were composed of 350 mL Distilled Water, 21 grams of Bentonite Clay, 0.3 grams of Portland Cement for the first sample, and the rest of the three samples were then added CSAC with the amount of 6, 9, 12 grams, respectively. To identify the changes in the rheological properties of the mud, such as the density, viscosity and cake thickness, the proponents prepared a controlled setup which does not contain Portland Cement and CSAC. The settling time for adsorbing was allowed for 1 hour before undergoing rheological property readings. All three trials from each sample were then mixed and proportioned to be submitted to the Optimal Laboratory for Calcium-ion Concentrration Test. For the experimental setups using 30, 60 and 150 rpm, it was shown that there is a significant difference in the viscosity, density, and cake thickness of the mud. The viscosity and density significantly increased, and the cake thickness decreased. It was also shown that the Calcium-ion contamination decreased as the amount of CSAC increased.