Eco-friendly and Bio-degradable Chemicals in Hydraulic Fracturing of Oil and Gas Wells
There’s a new fracturing rule that is being adopted by the US government in line with its efforts to make the process of fracturing environment-friendly. According to the plans arranged by the Obama administration, it is now a requirement to disclose the kinds of chemicals that will be used in the process. But the good news for larger companies is that the composition of the fluids and the chemicals that are used can only be shown to the public after the drilling has been completed. This is still a different policy that was planned out earlier that requires the companies to disclose the chemicals a month before the actual drilling. Though this was not the original intent, this only goes to show how important it is for the government to manage the chemicals that are used in hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. Through the process of fracturing, the once inaccessible hydrocarbons can now be accessed and used. But with these benefits some with the process and the attendant use of chemicals that are considered harmful to the environment and to the person’s health as well. This paved the way for the search for eco-friendly and bio-degradable chemicals in hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells.
What’s the cost of using the same chemicals for oil fracturing?
Fracturing explorations can bring in top dollars but the trade-offs are considered tough and too much to take. The majority of the fracturing chemicals and liquids are known to be toxic to the environment and humans; in fact there are some chemicals that are known to cause certain cancers. Some of the most common chemicals that are used in fracturing including the distillates of diesel and fuel that may contain benzene, toluene, naphthalene and a host of other chemicals. Other dangerous chemicals that are used in the exploration process include methanol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, glycol ethers and a few more. Some of these chemicals may be used sparingly at very small amounts but it should be noted that even a small amount of the chemicals can be used to contaminate millions of gallons of water. It is also said that some of the petroleum products including kerosene may contain benzene which is considered as harsh to the health of the person as this can cause certain cancers. Some of the chemicals that are also used in the process are known to be volatile organic compounds which can also affect the quality of drinking water. Other chemicals that are used in the process and can cause health problems include Boric acid, cadmium, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, chlorine, methanol and more than 50 more chemicals.
With these challenges, it’s recommended to steer away from the toxic chemicals and come up with eco-friendly and bio-degradable chemicals in hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells. This can be done by replacing the use of diesel with a more environment-friendly delivery system like the use of water. There are water-based alternatives to toxic chemicals that can be used in the fracturing procedures.
Also there are hydrophilic polymers that can be used on frac fluids like Guar Gum. Since this gum does not cause harm to the environment, its continued use in fracturing expeditions should be sustained. This same gum is also used in food production as a food thickener. This eco-friendly solution to fracturing is provided by Chemtotal, which can also provide customized grades of Guar Powder to meet specific company needs.
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