Issue 2, 2019

Radium in hydraulic fracturing wastewater: distribution in suspended solids and implications to its treatment by sulfate co-precipitation

Abstract

High concentrations of barium (Ba), strontium (Sr) and radium (Ra) are present in both the liquid and suspended solid portions of wastewater produced from hydraulic fracturing. These high concentrations often require special treatment in which the solid and liquid portions are separated and then independently treated prior to disposal. The solids are typically disposed in landfills while the liquids are further treated, recycled for future hydraulic fracturing, or disposed via injection wells. Finding optimal treatment methods of both the solid and the liquid fractions requires a thorough understanding of potential Ra mobility from both the raw suspended solids and mineral precipitates formed during treatment. Using a sequential extraction procedure, we found that, without treatment, more than 50% of Ra-226 in the suspended solids was associated with soluble salts and readily exchangeable fractions. When the liquid portion of the wastewater was treated by mixing with acid mine drainage (AMD), which contained high sulfate concentrations, approximately 80–97% of the total Ra-226 in the mixture solution is found in the insoluble sulfate fraction of the precipitate. The activity of Ra-226 sequestered in the precipitated solid sulfate fractions is positively correlated with the Sr/Ba ratio of the wastewater-AMD solution. We discuss implications of these findings for effective long-term management of elevated radium in both solid and liquid wastes.

Graphical abstract: Radium in hydraulic fracturing wastewater: distribution in suspended solids and implications to its treatment by sulfate co-precipitation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
12 jul 2018
Accepted
24 nov 2018
First published
26 nov 2018

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2019,21, 339-351

Author version available

Radium in hydraulic fracturing wastewater: distribution in suspended solids and implications to its treatment by sulfate co-precipitation

B. Ouyang, D. J. Renock, M. A. Ajemigbitse, K. Van Sice, N. R. Warner, J. D. Landis and X. Feng, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2019, 21, 339 DOI: 10.1039/C8EM00311D

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