US institutes to develop low-cost treatment for fracking water

Researchers at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) are researching a cost-effective method to treat flow-back water from hydraulic fracturing.

Flow-back water is a key sustainability issue for the oil and gas industry, due to the high volumes of water produced and the expensive treatment process. The water consists of salts, hydrocarbons and heavy metals, making it an environmental risk to dispose on land and in streams.

The researchers aim to develop an environmentally friendly charcoal product within a year for treatment of the water.

The new product, called biochar, will be trialled on water samples from the Eagle Ford Shale, a sedimentary rock formation underlying much of South Texas in the US.

Biochar is a charcoal-like solid that attracts and retains water, absorbing impurities such as hydrocarbons, biocides, organics and some inorganic metal ions. It is produced from the pyrolysis of biomass.

The researchers are investing $200,000 the study. Once it is completed, biochar treatment is expected to be the second stage of two in the water purification process. The first stage will comprise of filtration to remove solids that remain from the fracking process.

The treated water will then be ready for re-use or safe disposal.

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Image: Biochar will be trialled on water samples from the Eagle Ford Shale. Photo: courtesy of The University of Texas at San Antonio.