Radiochemical characterization of produced water from two production offshore oilfields in Ghana.

Produced water from two Ghanaian offshore production oilfields has been characterized using alpha spectrometry after radiochemical separation, non-destructive gamma spectrometry and ICP-MS and other complimentary analytical tools. The measured concentrations of main NORM components were in the range of 6.2-22.3 Bq.L(-1), 6.4-35.5 Bq.L(-1), and 0.7-7.0 Bq.L(-1) for (226)Ra, (228)Ra and (224)Ra respectively. A good correlation between several physico-chemical parameters and radium isotopes was observed in each production oilfield. The radium concentrations obtained in this study for produced water from the two oilfields of Ghana are of radiological importance and hence there may be the need to put in place measures for future contamination concerns due to their bioavailability in the media and bioaccumulation characteristics. The results will assist in critical decision making for future set up of appropriate national guidelines for the management of NORM waste from the emerging oil and gas industry in Ghana.