Biochar as Method to Treat Fracking Water
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
Researchers at UTSA and the Southwest Research InstituteDetermined that Biochar Effective Method to Treat Flowback Water Following Hydraulic Fracturing
Flowback water treatment is a critical sustainability issue for the oil and gas industry. One to five million gallons of water mixed with sand and chemicals are required for the fracking of each well. Once the water is used, the flowback, or wastewater, must be treated to remove hazardous chemicals before it is stored, reused or disposed, which can be a costly endeavor.
Using biochar could help oil and gas companies save money and responsibly treat flowback water for reuse. This is particularly important in areas where water resources are scarce.
UTSA mechanical engineering professorZhigang Feng, senior research engineer in the SwRI Chemistry and Chemical Engineering DivisionMaoqi Feng, and four UTSA students spent the past year creating biochar and testing it on water samples.
A stable charcoal-like solid that attracts and retains water, biochar absorbs impurities such as hydrocarbons, organics, biocides and certain inorganic metal ions. It is made from materials such as wood chips, paper, leaves, soybean oil, corn oil and other forms of agricultural waste heated to high temperatures in an oxygen-deprived environment.
"This project extensively studied the adsorption capacity of different biochar for potential inorganic ions and organic contaminants. The adsorption capacity data is very useful for designing of large scale adsorption beds for flowback water treatment," said Maoqi Feng.
The research team developed the preparation method, tested the process and collected data that shows the exact type of biochar that filters out the specific chemicals oil and gas companies add to the water during the fracking process. Those chemicals, such as calcium chloride and magnesium chloride, are listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being harmful to the environment.
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