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Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kondash, AJ; Warner, NR; Lahav, O; Vengosh, A
Published in: Environmental science & technology
January 2014

Wastewaters generated during hydraulic fracturing of the Marcellus Shale typically contain high concentrations of salts, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), and metals, such as barium, that pose environmental and public health risks upon inadequate treatment and disposal. In addition, fresh water scarcity in dry regions or during periods of drought could limit shale gas development. This paper explores the possibility of using alternative water sources and their impact on NORM levels through blending acid mine drainage (AMD) effluent with recycled hydraulic fracturing flowback fluids (HFFFs). We conducted a series of laboratory experiments in which the chemistry and NORM of different mix proportions of AMD and HFFF were examined after reacting for 48 h. The experimental data combined with geochemical modeling and X-ray diffraction analysis suggest that several ions, including sulfate, iron, barium, strontium, and a large portion of radium (60-100%), precipitated into newly formed solids composed mainly of Sr barite within the first ∼ 10 h of mixing. The results imply that blending AMD and HFFF could be an effective management practice for both remediation of the high NORM in the Marcellus HFFF wastewater and beneficial utilization of AMD that is currently contaminating waterways in northeastern U.S.A.

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Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

January 2014

Volume

48

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1334 / 1342

Related Subject Headings

  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Wastewater
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid
  • Thermodynamics
  • Radium
  • Pennsylvania
  • Molecular Weight
  • Mining
  • Kinetics
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
 

Citation

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Kondash, A. J., Warner, N. R., Lahav, O., & Vengosh, A. (2014). Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(2), 1334–1342. https://doi.org/10.1021/es403852h
Kondash, Andrew J., Nathaniel R. Warner, Ori Lahav, and Avner Vengosh. “Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.Environmental Science & Technology 48, no. 2 (January 2014): 1334–42. https://doi.org/10.1021/es403852h.
Kondash AJ, Warner NR, Lahav O, Vengosh A. Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage. Environmental science & technology. 2014 Jan;48(2):1334–42.
Kondash, Andrew J., et al. “Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage.Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 48, no. 2, Jan. 2014, pp. 1334–42. Epmc, doi:10.1021/es403852h.
Kondash AJ, Warner NR, Lahav O, Vengosh A. Radium and barium removal through blending hydraulic fracturing fluids with acid mine drainage. Environmental science & technology. 2014 Jan;48(2):1334–1342.
Journal cover image

Published In

Environmental science & technology

DOI

EISSN

1520-5851

ISSN

0013-936X

Publication Date

January 2014

Volume

48

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1334 / 1342

Related Subject Headings

  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Wastewater
  • Waste Disposal, Fluid
  • Thermodynamics
  • Radium
  • Pennsylvania
  • Molecular Weight
  • Mining
  • Kinetics
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration