Evaluating sugarcane irrigation water for sustainable enhanced oil recovery and efficient waste management

Global water scarcity is driving the oil and gas sector to explore unconventional water sources for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This study introduces sugarcane irrigation water as a sustainable alternative injection fluid. Two water samples were tested against five crude oils to assess emulsion formation, interfacial tension (IFT), wettability alteration, and organic deposition. Emulsion stability ranged from 37 to 82% after 3 h at 80 °C, while IFT decreased from 21.4 to 9.7 mN m⁻¹. Contact angle reductions of up to 36° indicated a partial shift from oil-wet to neutral-wet conditions. Phase separation varied widely (0-100%), depending on crude type and water-oil mixing ratio, with enhanced emulsion stability correlating qualitatively with lower IFT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that sugarcane irrigation water can function effectively as an EOR injection brine, linking agricultural return flows to sustainable petroleum operations without compromising recovery. These results highlight the dual advantage of repurposing agricultural drainage and expand the portfolio of unconventional injection waters by demonstrating physicochemical compatibility with crude oils.