Issue 2, 2019

Characterization and biological removal of organic compounds from hydraulic fracturing produced water

Abstract

Hydraulic fracturing generates large volumes of produced water, and treatment of produced water may be necessary for disposal or reuse. Biological treatment of produced water is a potential approach to remove organic constituents and reduce fouling, in conjunction with other treatment processes. This study investigates the biological treatability of produced water samples from the Utica and Bakken Shales using engineered biofilms. Observed total dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal varied between 1-87% at normalized total dissolved solids concentrations, suggesting that the composition of produced water, including organic constituents and trace elements such as nutrients and metals, is an important driver of biological treatment performance. Mass spectrometric analyses of the DOC composition revealed various alkanes in all samples, but differences in non-ionic surfactant, halogenated, and acidic compound content. Statistical data reduction approaches suggest that the latter two groups are correlated with reduced biodegradation kinetics. These results demonstrate that the combination of biodegradation performance and organic speciation can guide the assessment of the biological treatment of produced water.

Graphical abstract: Characterization and biological removal of organic compounds from hydraulic fracturing produced water

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 Aug 2018
Accepted
08 Nov 2018
First published
09 Nov 2018

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2019,21, 279-290

Author version available

Characterization and biological removal of organic compounds from hydraulic fracturing produced water

B. Akyon, M. McLaughlin, F. Hernández, J. Blotevogel and K. Bibby, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2019, 21, 279 DOI: 10.1039/C8EM00354H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements