HYDRAULIC SHALE FRACTURING AND NATURAL GAS DRILLING: A REVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE AND GREEN TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE POTENTIAL IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENTS

The recent advances in hydraulic fracturing, in conjunction with horizontal drilling, have enabled large-scale extraction of natural gas from shale formations in the U.S., leading to the reduction of our reliance on foreign gas and oil imports, concomitant with moving towards lower energy costs and a carbon-light environment. In spite of its enormous economic benefits, it is significant as well as necessary to develop more sustainable and green technologies to increase efficiency and reduce potential environmental impact. The objective of this talk will be to present ideas and discussions on better methods of hydraulic fracturing and sustainable technologies, and identify important directions in future development. Specifically, this talk will address some of the following key topics: 1) development of better green hydraulic fracturing fluids, 2) understanding and prediction of motion and fate of fracturing fluids, 3) characteristics and behavior of fracturing fluids and green alternatives, and 4) sustainable technologies to reduce the environmental impact of fracturing fluids to ground and surface water. A discussion of the role of geosynthetics in containing wastewater and mitigating contaminant transport will also be discussed in this talk.