No fracking way!

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I have been amazed that we have build many an ethanol plant in water short areas (like Florida). I have been even more amazed when these same facilities are not designed to reuse the water they employ, which would both save them money- and reduce their impact on the environment. Our numbers show these folks can increase their profits about 3 to 5 cents a gallon- after accounting for the cost of water treatment- by incorporating water reuse.

Well, folks like Halliburton are starting to look at doing the same thing with fracking. Fracking is the hydraulic fracturing of oil from within the ground. Without removing and treating these waters, they are bound to ruin existing ground water sources. Too many “frackers” just inject the used water underground- leaving it to fester as an environmental problem. But, as citizens complain and regulatory authorities react, this cheap, dangerous process will cease to be possible.

[Theoretically, the wastewater must be trucked or piped to a licensed disposal facility. Which often means just pumping the water underground.  Moreover, many of these “disposal” wells have been associated with increased ground activity (euphemism for earthquakes).]

The amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing is a function of the type of formation being developed, as well as the well depth and length. Coal-bed methane uses the least amount of water- about 50K to 350K gallons per well. However, shale-oil production consumes 2 to 4 million gallons of water per well, which is also a function of the porosity of the bed.

Given that there are some 35,000 wells under development, the water needs could approach 140 billion gallons. That’s about the same needs for a city the size of Toronto or the borough of Brooklyn (New York). Not exactly chicken feed! And, the effects are radically different if we are talking about these water needs for fracking in North Dakota (not very arid) or Pennsylvania.

Hydraulic Fracturing Water Reuse

The process of reusing the water is pretty straightforward. As shown in the diagram, the used fracking water is first collected. From there is is pumped through an electrocoagulation process (also known as short-wave electrolysis). This process, which releases anions (positively charged ions) that attach to negatively charged particles in the water, which then float to the surface. As such, it affords a more rapid, filter-free unit operation that removes emulsified oils, suspended solids, and a variety of heavy metals. (There may need to be pH manipulation of the water to optimize the coagulation process, as well). From there, the water undergoes filtration, before it is ready for reuse.
Obviously, this water is not suitable for drinking. But, that is never the goal of properly designed water reuse. The goal of a water reuse system is to render the water capable of being reused for a similar or lesser quality need, thereby saving money and resources.

Which is one of the reasons why Chesapeake Energy is now recycling 100% of the wastewater from it’s well operations in Pennsylvania. This does a variety of things for Chesapeake. First of all, it saves them money on water requirements. Secondly, it reduces the impact on the local roads with it’s massive trucking operations, bringing water to drilling sites or delivering it to dumping sites. As such, the local citizenry is happy on two or three accounts- less potential damage from water pollution, lower traffic in the area, and fewer potential earthquakes.

What’s holding the rest of these frackers from following the sensible approach?Roy A. Ackerman, Ph.D., E.A.

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11 thoughts on “No fracking way!”

    1. Oh, so sorry that I did not properly explain this technique, David.
      I want folks to see what can and can’t be done with hydraulic fracturing. I still have no firm position on the process- but, am certainly against it when we don’t take into account groundwater pollution, improper well disposal, and the like.

    1. Glad you learned something new about fracking, TracyAnn. Maybe all these companies will start adopting these- or similar- practices, which will alleviate many of the fears that are expressed about the concept.

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