Bacteria to Clean Shale Gas Fluid
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
Research findings by the US Geological Survey (USGS) have indicated that bacteria in produced water could improve the way fluid from shale gas operations
The study found that bacteria may be useful in breaking down contaminants in produced water. The findings could have "important implications" for energy companies, according to the USGS report.
"Microbial activity detected in these samples could turn out to be an advantage by contributing to the degradation of organic compounds present in the produced waters. Potentially, microbes could also serve to help mitigate the effects of organic contaminants during the disposal or accidental release of produced waters," the report said.
The USGS studied 13 hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in north-central Pennsylvania. Large differences in the organic geochemistry including petroleum products and microbiology such as bacteria populations of the produced waters were "striking findings of the study," USGS reported.
USGS microbiologist and lead author of the study, Denise Akob, said: "Some wells appeared to be hotspots for microbial activity. But this was not predicted by well location, depth, or salinity.
Source: Desalination.Biz
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