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Fracking wastewater : recommendation for cost efficient wastewater treatment in the fracking industry a report submitted to the faculty of the Milwaukee School of Engineering in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering / by Sharon Schwingle.

by Schwingle, Shannon, author., Mahuta, Dr. Frank , Kaszubowski, Kenneth, committee member , Shimek, Gary , Milwaukee School of Engineering

[Milwaukee School of Engineering], [2017]

Hydraulic fracturing -- Environmental aspects.

Oil-shale industry -- Environmental aspects.

Sewage -- Purification

Water -- Purification

75 leaves : illustrations, some of which are in color ; 29 cm

Introduction -- Background -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Results and discussion -- Conclusions and recommendations.

The purpose of this paper is to explain a project in which wastewater treatment methods associated with hydraulic fracturing (fracking) were investigated. The goal of the project was to determine the most cost effective treatment method. A review of relevant literature was first conducted in order to develop an understanding of fracking and its technology, as well as associated issues, including fracking chemicals, environmental impacts, and regulatory concerns. Literature was additionally reviewed--and operators in the industry were consulted--in order to identify fracking wastewater treatment methods, practices, technology, and issues. Findings from this review of literature indicated that fracking wastewater characteristics vary from region to region, and even from well to well. As a result, no universal treatment method exists at this time. Instead, a proliferation of treatment methods were identified. Because of this state of affairs, it was recognized that project scope limitations needed to be imposed. These limitations included a focus on geographic region and on treatment methods. Although fracking occurs in several regions of the United States, this project focused on the Marcellus Shale region. A common treatment method and a relatively new method were the criteria employed to select two treatment options. A common treatment method in the Marcellus Shale region is the transportation of fracking wastewater to a centralized wastewater treatment (CWT) facility. A life cycle analysis was conducted in order to compare this treatment method with a new on-site evaporation method, Purestream's Accelerated Vapor Recompression (AVARA) system, in which wastewater can be re-used in a fracking operation. The main finding is that the AVARA option is a more cost-effective method--primarily because the transportation of wastewater entails significant costs. More research is necessary, particularly with a focus on the development of treatment systems that integrate operator feedback and that facilitate greater re-use of fracking wastewater in fracking operations. In addition, new fracking methods need to be developed, which do not rely primarily on the use of water. Such new methods could eliminate the need for fracking wastewater treatment, as well as offer other benefits, such as sustainability and the elimination of some environmental impacts.

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