The Southern Research Institute has entered a contract with the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), under the Unconventional Resources Program, to develop and demonstrate the performance of technologies that will advance shale gas hydraulic fracturing water treatment to produce National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) quality water, a news release said.

The project is being funded by the US Department of Energy’s Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources Research and Development Program established through the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The two-year project will develop advanced technologies that address issues related to processes and methods for handling and disposal of large volumes of hydraulic fracturing flowback water, as well as water produced during the longer term production phase, the release said. The program will optimize four technologies – two for hydraulic fracturing water treatment and two for the treatment and disposal of residues (high solid slurry and membrane concentrate) from hydraulic fracturing water treatment.

The hydraulic fracturing water treatment technologies are magnetic ballast clarification for removal of total suspended solids (TSS), metals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMS), and vortex-generating and nano-filtration membranes for removal of TSS and/or total dissolved solids, the release said. The residue treatment/disposal technologies are hydrogel adsorbent for metals, NORMs, trace element removal, and precipitation, solidification and stabilization. Several combinations of the technologies can be envisioned and will be explored as part of this research project.

The program will be managed and executed by teams from Southern Research’s Advanced Energy & Transportation Technologies Center in Durham, NC, and the PSER operations in Birmingham, Ala. and Cartersville, Ga. Southern Research also teamed with partners from M2 Water Treatment, Inc. in Raleigh, NC, and BKT United in Anaheim, Calif., to conduct this work, the release said. Southern Research is interested in partnering with additional oil and gas industry leaders to further demonstrate, commercialize, and deploy the technology.