Feasibility study of biodegradable coffee ground waste and watermelon rind as water-based drilling fluid additives

Addressing environmental concerns in extracting and producing hydrocarbon resources requires environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluid (WBDF) additives. These additives not only protect the environment but also offer operational benefits. One of the major challenges of WBDF is fluid loss into the formation and its degradability in high-temperature conditions, which induce cost, formation alteration and environmental pollution. This study explored the feasibility of wasted watermelon rind powder (WRP) and coffee ground waste powder (CGWP) as potential WBDF additives to regulate fluid loss and modify other rheological properties. WRP and CGWP were characterized using Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) tests. The thermal stability of the proposed additives was confirmed using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) test. Several experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of WRP and CGWP with different weight concentrations (wt.%) on the rheological and drilling fluid properties of conventional WBDF. The results show that at 3 wt%, the WRP improved the plastic viscosity by 75% and the CGWP increased the plastic viscosity by 100%. At the same time, the CGWP reduced the gel strength substantially, while WRP increased the gel strength. At an optimum 3 wt%, the CGWP reduced fluid loss by 53%, resulting in the thinnest filter cake thickness. These results demonstrate the potential use of the studied materials as multifunctional additives in drilling operations with WBDF.