Wastewater Management for Shale Hydrocarbon Extraction
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Wastewater Management for Shale Hydrocarbon Extraction Hiba Hashmi – Ecotoxicology & Environmental Health Courtney Kutchins – Environmental Economics & Policy Beth Yetter – Energy & Environment Nairuo Zhu – Global Environmental Change Masters project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Environment Management Degree at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. Dr. Rob Jackson, Advisor May 2013 ABSTRACT Wastewater generation poses significant challenges to the future of shale oil and gas extraction. With the rapid expansion of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling operations, solutions for wastewater management are in high demand. This client project for Waste Management, Inc. reviews characteristics of produced and flow-back water in ten active shale formations, federal and state regulatory constraints on water supply and management practices in thirteen states, current wastewater management practices, and current and emerging wastewater treatment technologies. We conclude that recycling wastewater for reuse in additional hydraulic fracturing activities is preferred over other management practices. We evaluate current and emerging treatment technologies using criteria based on cost, potential environmental impact, potential community impact, regulatory requirements, suitability for waste stream characteristics, and other technological considerations. We employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to rank technologies and propose technologies for each shale formation. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of Report ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Report Organization ...................................................................................................... 3 2. METHODS ......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Project Scope ................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Technology Evaluation & Recommendation Process................................................... 5 2.3 Challenges and caveats ................................................................................................. 6 3. SHALE GEOLOGY & WATER QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS ................................ 6 3.1 Shale Geology & Hydrocarbons ................................................................................... 6 3.2 Characteristics of wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations ............................ 7 3.3 Water Quality .............................................................................................................. 11 3.4 Volume of Produced Water ........................................................................................ 13 3.5 Regulatory Considerations .......................................................................................... 13 4. CURRENT WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ................................................................................................................. 15 4.1 Wastewater Transportation ........................................................................................ 16 4.2 Underground Injection ................................................................................................ 18 4.3 Discharge From Centralized Waste Treatment Facilities or Publically Owned Treatment Works ......................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Recycling and Reuse ................................................................................................... 23 6. TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES ................................................................................... 50 6.1 Current Treatment Technologies for Recycling and Reuse ........................................ 50 6.2 Emerging Treatment Technologies for Recycling and Reuse .................................... 56 6.3 Conclusions ................................................................................................................. 65 7. EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................. 66 7.1 Recommendation and Evaluation Framework ............................................................ 66 7.2 Evaluation of Treatment Options and Technologies .................................................. 67 7.3 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 71 8. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 74 i TABLE OF APPENDICES Appendix A Water rights and appropriation regulations Appendix B PA General Permit WMGR 123 (2012): De-wasted water Appendix C Louisiana commercial disposal facilities Appendix D Geospatial analysis Appendix E Colorado maximum contaminant concentration levels Appendix F Wyoming discharge treatment standards Appendix G Wastewater characteristics Appendix H Emerging technologies ii TABLE OF ACRONYMS ADEQ Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality AMD Acid Mine Drainage AOGC Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission AOPP Advanced Oxidation and Precipitation Process API American Petroleum Institute Ba Barium bbl Barrel (42 gallons) BLM Bureau of Land Management BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand Ca Calcium CDI Capacitive Deionization Cl Chlorine COGCC Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission CSG Coal Seam Gas CWA Clean Water Act CWT Centralized Wastewater Treatment DAF Dissolved Air Flotation DRBC Delaware River Basin Commission DOGR Division of Oil and Gas Resources DWWM WVDEP’s Division of Water and Waste Management E&P Exploration and Production EC Electrocoagulation ED Electrodialysis EDI Electrodeionization EDR Electrodialysis Reversal ELG Effluent Limitation Guideline F Fluorine FAQ Frequently Asked Questions Fe Iron FO Forward Osmosis ft Feet gpd Gallons per day ITS Integrated Treatment System MBOGC Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation MCT Mobile Chemical Treatment MDEQ Michigan Department of Environmental Quality MF Microfiltration Mg Magnesium mg/L Milligrams per liter Mn Manganese MOS Mixed Oxidant Solution NaCl Sodium Chloride NO3 Nitrate NORM Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material iii NPDES National Pollution Discharge Elimination System OCC Oklahoma Corporation Commission ODNR Ohio Department of Natural Resources PADEP Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection PDOPA Polydopamine POTW Publicly Owned Treatment Works ppb Parts per billion ppm Parts per million PW-GP Produced Water General Permit Ra Radium RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act RO Reverse Osmosis SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act SO4 Sulfate Sr Strontium SRB Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria SRBC Susquehanna River Basin Commission STRONGER State Review of Natural Gas Environmental Regulation, Inc. TDS Total Dissolved Solids TOC Total Organic Carbon TPH Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons TSS Total Suspended Solids TX RRC Texas Railroad Commission UF Ultrafiltration μg/L Microgram per liter UIC Underground Injection Control μmhos/cm micromhos/cm USDOE United States Department of Energy USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency UV Ultraviolet VOC Volatile Organic Compound WDEQ Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality WOGCC Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission WQS Water Quality Standard(s) WVDEP West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection iv 1. INTRODUCTION This report was prepared by Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment graduate students for Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management, Inc. partners with its clients in municipalities and industry to reduce and manage waste. They collect and dispose of waste, recover valuable resources, and strive to create clean and renewable energy. Waste Management leads in the development, operation, and ownership of facilities that convert landfill gas to energy and facilities that convert waste to energy. With 45,000 employees committed to environmental sustainability, Waste Management’s mission is to “maximize resource value, while minimizing environmental impact so that both [the] economy and [the] environment can thrive” (Waste Management Inc, 2013). 1.1 Purpose of Report The rapid development of the hydraulic fracturing industry in the past few decades has dramatically impacted the U.S. energy market, in terms of both driving down energy prices and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Worldwatch Institute, 2010). The process of hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling has proven to be an effective method to extract natural gas from unconventional sources. Hydraulic fracturing may hold the potential to significantly reduce the US’s dependence on foreign fossil fuel. However, the assessment of the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing, though important to understand, is not yet complete. Shale oil and gas originate within shale formations or plays composed of fine-grained sedimentary rocks; the shale gas within these formations is estimated to comprise about 49% of the total natural gas production in the U.S. by the year 2035 (EIA, 2012). In unconventional reservoirs, natural gas or oil is extracted using two major techniques in combination: horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (Sakmar, 2011).