Treatment modalities for the reuse of produced waste from oil and gas development

Tiffany Liden; Inês C Santos; Zacariah L Hildenbrand; Kevin A Schug

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.386

Treatment modalities for the reuse of produced waste from oil and gas development

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Dec 1:643:107-118. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.386. Epub 2018 Jun 21.

Authors

Tiffany Liden¹, Inês C Santos², Zacariah L Hildenbrand³, Kevin A Schug⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, 700 Planetarium Place, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
² Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, 700 Planetarium Place, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Affiliate of Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA.
³ Affiliate of Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Inform Environmental, LLC, 6060 N. Central Expressway, Suite 500, Dallas, TX 75206, USA. Electronic address: zac@informenv.com.
⁴ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, 700 Planetarium Place, Arlington, TX 76019, USA; Affiliate of Collaborative Laboratories for Environmental Analysis and Remediation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA. Electronic address: kschug@uta.edu.

PMID: 29936154
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.386

Abstract

Unconventional oil and gas development is achieved through a series of sub-processes, which utilize large amounts of water, proppant, and chemical additives to retrieve sequestered hydrocarbons from low permeability petroliferous strata. As a result, a large amount of wastewater is produced, which is traditionally disposed of via subsurface injection into non-productive stratum throughout the country. However, this method of waste management has been linked to the induction of seismic events in a number of regions across North America, calling into question the environmental stewardship and sustainability of subsurface waste disposal. Advancements in water treatment technologies have improved the efficacy and financial viability of produced water recycling for beneficial reuse in the oil and gas sector. This review will cover the various treatment options that are currently being utilized in shale energy basins to remove organic, inorganic, and biological constituents, as well as some emerging technologies that are designed to remove pertinent contaminants that would otherwise preclude the reuse of produced water for production well stimulation.

Keywords: Hydraulic fracturing; Produced water; Shale; Unconventional oil and gas development; Water treatment.

Publication types

Review