New Microbe Research Could Improve Produced Water Reuse Practice

New research on how bacteria behave in produced water could affect the way fluid from shale gas operations is handled and reused.

The findings, published by Elsevier, could "have important implications" for energy companies, according to the study.

The research links "the duration of hydraulic fracturing to the concentration of organic compounds in drilling wastewater. Researchers speculated that increased microbial activity in water with high levels of organic compounds could prove useful in future efforts to clean up fracking accidents," according to Advantage Business Media's Manufacturing publication.

The upshot? Bacteria may be more useful than scientists realized for breaking down contaminants in produced water.

"Microbial activity detected in these samples could turn out to be an advantage by contributing to the degradation of organic compounds present in the produced waters. Potentially, microbes could also serve to help mitigate the effects of organic contaminants during the disposal or accidental release of produced waters," according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

The bureau studied 13 hydraulically fractured shale gas wells in north-central Pennsylvania.

"The large differences in the organic geochemistry (carbon-based, including petroleum products) and microbiology (e.g. bacteria) of the produced waters were striking findings of the study," USGS reported.

Denise Akob, a USGS microbiologist and lead author of the study, explained the findings.

“Some wells appeared to be hotspots for microbial activity,” she said. “But this was not predicted by well location, depth, or salinity. The presence of microbes seemed to be associated with concentrations of specific organic compounds — for example, benzene or acetate — and the length of time that the well was in production.”