Wastewater and Shale Formation Development

The number of tight oil and shale gas wells continues to rise primarily in the US, but also worldwide. The US has vast reserves of oil and natural gas, which now are commercially reachable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. But as hydraulic fracturing is increasingly used, concerns have been raised about potential stress on surface water and groundwater supplies from the withdrawal of water used in the process. Equally important is the growing volume of wastewater generated from hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells, requiring recycling, t