The water footprint of hydraulic fracturing in Sichuan Basin, China

The Science of the Total Environment
Caineng ZouA Vengosh

Abstract

Shale gas is likely to play a major role in China's transition away from coal. In addition to technological and infrastructural constraints, the main challenges to China's sustainable shale gas development are sufficient shale gas production, water availability, and adequate wastewater management. Here we present, for the first time, actual data of shale gas production and its water footprint from the Weiyuan gas field, one of the major gas fields in Sichuan Basin. We show that shale gas production rates during the first 12 months (24 million m3 per well) are similar to gas production rates in U.S. shale basins. The amount of water used for hydraulic fracturing (34,000 m3 per well) and the volume of flowback and produced (FP) water in the first 12 months (19,800 m3 per well) in Sichuan Basin are also similar to the current water footprints of hydraulic fracturing in U.S. basins. We present salinity data of the FP water (5000 to 40,000 mgCl/L) in Sichuan Basin and the treatment operations, which include sedimentation, dilution with fresh water, and recycling of the FP water for hydraulic fracturing. We utilize the water use data, empirical decline rates of shale gas and FP water productions in Sichuan Basin to generate two predi...Continue Reading

References

Jul 13, 2013·Science·William L Ellsworth
Oct 4, 2013·Environmental Science & Technology·Nathaniel R WarnerAvner Vengosh
Oct 16, 2013·Environmental Science & Technology·Chao Zhang, Laura Diaz Anadon
Sep 19, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·B R ScanlonJ-P Nicot
Nov 27, 2014·Environmental Science & Technology·Genevieve A KahrilasThomas Borch
Feb 18, 2016·Environmental Science & Technology·Mengjun YuAvner Vengosh
Sep 19, 2016·The Science of the Total Environment·Andrew J KondashAvner Vengosh
Nov 5, 2016·Environmental Science & Technology·Rodney WilkinsAndres F Clarens
Feb 9, 2017·Environmental Science & Technology·Yue QinDenise L Mauzerall
Aug 26, 2017·Environmental Science & Technology·Svetlana A IkonnikovaGuinevere McDaid
Sep 7, 2017·Environmental Science & Technology·Bridget R ScanlonMark Walsh
Aug 18, 2018·Science Advances·Andrew J KondashAvner Vengosh

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Citations

Aug 18, 2018·Science Advances·Andrew J KondashAvner Vengosh
Feb 2, 2020·Water Research·Christian L ConradMichael S Wong
May 11, 2021·Environmental Science & Technology·Cheng ZhongDaniel S Alessi
Nov 14, 2018·Environmental Science & Technology·Yunyan NiAvner Vengosh
Jan 24, 2020·Environmental Science & Technology·Douglas RiceFrançois Perreault

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