The extraction of oil and natural gas has been a major industry in the United States for many years. Originally, this fuel was used simply to heat homes. With the advancement in technology, many different types of machinery, including electrical generators at power plants, automobiles and home appliances have been designed to operate using natural gas. In recent years, it has become more difficult to find new sources of natural gas. Hence, various companies have ventured in hydraulic fracking in the hope of producing more natural gas. However, the hydraulic fracking itself brings a host of environmental and health dangers. The following looks at what hydraulic fracking is, the environmental/health dangers it poses, and what solutions can be offered to reduce or eliminate the risks of hydraulic fracking.
Hydraulic fracking is a widespread natural gas extraction method, particularly in the United States. Technological innovations in the United States enabled the extraction of natural gas from coal beds, tight sands, and different shale formations (Burton, et al., 2014). Initially, companies only used the hydraulic fracking technique. This involves sending high pressure liquids and chemicals vertically into the ground to release the gas underneath. As years passed, this procedure was applied together with horizontal drilling. The collaborative procedures performed by these two techniques have made possible the production of gas from geological formations were it would have not been possible before.
However, when used in concert the two procedures have increased the magnitude of impact they have on people’s health and environment. For instance, in the area near the hydraulic fracking the process often leads to contamination in the drinking water. Residents are also likely to experience gas emission exposure. Furthermore, there is evidence that fracking instigates seismicity, and small tremors have been frequently recorded near fracking wells (Meng & Ashby, 2014). Moreover, people living near the area where drilling is performed are regularly exposed to air pollution, thereby increasing the prevalence of certain illnesses, such as blood disorders, respiratory problems, cancer, and birth defects (Kiely, 2014).
Fracking benefits the United States economy in many ways and has become the primary means for extracting natural gas. In fact, 54% of all natural gas produced in the United States was obtained through the fracking process. Hydraulic fracking is also performed in other nations as well, including South Africa. The process of fracking itself has changed in recent years in order to produce a higher volume of natural gas. The use of these high-volume fracking methods also makes use of the high supply of water, aquifer contamination, methane infiltration, and surface footprint. To decrease the quantity of water utilized in stimulating shale produced gas, production companies have introduced the use of foam technologies as an alternative. These chemicals themselves represent a danger to the surrounding environment.
Zero-Water Fracking
Some newer fracking systems make use of a gelled fluid that itself contains propane. In addition to eliminating the necessity of using large quantities of water, this approach has a number of other advantages. For instance, since the gel is more effective at retaining the sand in the fracking process, the drilling companies can pump more slowly and use a fraction of the liquid they did before (“GE and Statoil aim for water-free fracking,” 2014). Also, this eliminates the need to draw any contaminated wastewater back out of the ground for later disposal. This results in a much smaller surface footprint.
Recycling Water or Brine
In most cases, fracking is performed using freshwater, but industry scientists have been working on a method to employing additives that would allow the drillers to use recycled water or brine. Halliburton recently introduced this type of system on the market, while in Canada one producer is making use of deep underground brine water for part of its operations. Doing this will allow a company to avoid wasting precious freshwater resources that are becoming much more hard-to-find in many parts of the country (Freeman, 2013). In fact, it is this use of freshwater in the fracking process that generates the largest percentage of objections to fracking operations.
Reducing Diesel Fumes
While not directly a part of the fracking process itself, the diesel engines and equipment used by drilling companies contribute significantly to pollution and the carbon emissions that cause global warming. Reducing or eliminating this problem would benefit the environment significantly (Hunter, 2013). Diesel fuel is also quite expensive, so reducing its use would benefit a company financially. Because of this, a number of companies are beginning to switch to the use of engines and vehicles powered entirely by natural gas. Along with reducing carbon emissions, these businesses will be able to reduce their costs by as much as 40%. Others are looking at the use of solar power for various on-site purposes.
Wastewater Treatment
One of the major caused by companies carrying out hydraulic fracking is that they produce tremendous amounts of contaminated wastewater. In fact, the wastewater generated is usually far greater than the quantity of gas or oil produced by the fracking. In addition to the chemically treated water that was originally pumped into the ground in the fracking process, the water coming back also contains salts, heavy metals and radioactive materials. It is necessary for the company managing the drilling to capture and store this wastewater temporarily on-site before it can be shipped vast distances in order to be injected into deep underground facilities. Until recently, there have been few if any treatment options. However, recently a number of companies have developed various approaches for dealing with an recycling waste water at fracking sites. These approaches range from using bubbles and positive ions to remove particulates from the wastewater to using membranes to desalinate water.
Addressing Methane Leaks
Another major problem caused by fracking is the significant quantity of natural gas that is often allowed to escape. The problem with this is that methane (one of the components of natural gas) significant contributor to global warming. In fact, as a greenhouse gas methane is over 30 times more effective than carbon dioxide. Even worse, recent research has determined that the US government has been underestimating the country’s methane emissions by as much as 50%. However, new EPA regulations went into effect last year mandating that all gas and oil producing sites in the United States be equipped to reduce the pollutants they generate. It’s expected that this will significantly cut the generation of methane by these facilities in the near future.
One study indicates that methane emissions resulting from natural gas and oil production in the United States might be reduced by up to 40% over the next three years. According to this Environmental Defense Fund study, the cost of implementing such a goal would add only one dollar to every 100,000 ft.³ of natural gas being produced in the United States. Furthermore, equipping rig inspectors with high tech infrared gear designed to detect gas leaks occurring at fracking sites can significantly reduce the gas produced by such leaks by allowing them to be quickly discovered and plugged. Moreover, such technology would essentially pay for itself. After all, any leaks that are discovered and plugged will leave more gas for the company to then sell.
In conclusion, fracking has been demonstrated to cause a wide range of environmental problems inside the United States and abroad. These problems are not confined merely to the United States, since global warming is obviously a worldwide issue. Moreover, other countries (such as South Africa) also engage in this practice. At the same time, it is the responsibility of the United States and its government to ensure that if this practice is going to be carried out it is done so in the most environmentally sound way as possible. A number of methods and technologies are described above that could contribute to reducing the impact that fracking has on the environment. We can eliminate the use of large quantities of water either through replacing water in the process or recycling the water that is used. Some companies are starting to use brine water in the fracking process instead of freshwater, since freshwater is a much more limited resource. Others are attempting to minimize their operations carbon submissions footprint by reducing or eliminating the use of diesel fuel on site.
Careful and effective wastewater treatment can also reduce the effect that fracking operations have on the immediate environment around them. Finally, one of the most significant environmental issues surrounding fracking is the large quantities of methane gas it produces. Even here though, there are technologies and approaches that can minimize this problem. If fracking were approached in every case in a way that stresses the protection of the natural world and of surrounding human populations, it might be that there would be far fewer objections to the process.
References
Burton, G. A., Basu, N., Ellis, B. R., Kapo, K. E., Entrekin, S., & Nadelhoffer, K. (2014). Hydraulic “Fracking”: Are surface water impacts an ecological concern?. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 33(8), 1679-1689.
GE and Statoil aim for water-free fracking. (2014). TCE: The Chemical Engineer, (876), 20.
Hunter, P. (2013). Guidance on Diesel Use in Fracking Still A Contentious Issue. ENR: Engineering News-Record, 272(18), 5.
Kiely, K. (2014). REPORT: Five Major Health Threats from Fracking-Related Air Pollution. NRDC. Retrieved 3 August 2016, from https://www.nrdc.org/media/2014/141216
Meng, Q., & Ashby, S. (2014). Distance: A critical aspect for environmental impact assessment of hydraulic fracking. The Extractive Industries and Society, 1(2), 124-126.
Reible, D. D., Honarparvar, S., Chen, C. C., Illangasekare, T. H., & MacDonell, M. (2016). Environmental Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing. InEnvironmental Technology in the Oil Industry (pp. 199-219). Springer International Publishing.
