Half of natural gas to come from shale by 2035<\/strong>
\nAccording to the U.S. Department of Energy, shale is a type of sedimentary rock that can act as a rich source of natural gas. The federal agency estimated that, by 2035, nearly half of the natural gas in the U.S. will come from shale. To maximize the amount of extractable natural gas from shale, some drilling companies have resorted to fracking, a process that forces various fluids down drilling wells. Environmental scientists have been concerned about fracking for several reasons, including the possibility that the chemicals mixed in with the drilling fluids will contaminate groundwater sources.<\/p>\nFederal and state regulations now require fracking companies to disclose the formulas of the drilling fluids they use, but businesses have been reluctant to do so because they use proprietary blends. Instead of releasing detailed formulas, they disclosed mixtures of general chemical categories, including surfactants.<\/p>\n
To investigate further, the authors of the new study collected fluid samples through partnerships between their institution and Colorado State University. They used state-of-the-art mass spectrometry to analyze the surfactants in the fluid samples, and concluded that they were no more harmful than the chemical compounds found in products such as laxatives, toothpaste and ice cream.<\/p>\n
"This is the first published paper that identifies some of the organic fracking chemicals going down the well that companies use," lead study author Michael Thurman, a co-founder of the Laboratory for Environmental Mass Spectrometry in CU-Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science, said in a statement. "We found chemicals in the samples we were running that most of us are putting down our drains at home."<\/p>\n
Another reason why this study might be significant is that it demonstrated a way that researchers can "fingerprint" the unique proprietary blends of drilling fluids that fracking companies use. Such information will be useful in case of actual environmental contamination.<\/p>\n
Caution is still necessary<\/strong>
\nDespite results indicating that the surfactants in the fracking fluid samples used for this study are not dangerous, the researchers were careful to point out that individual companies will modify their formulas depending on the geology of their drill sites. Additionally, the scientists cautioned that studies on fracking's impact on air pollution, seismic activity and water contamination from antimicrobial biocides must continue.<\/p>\nAs of September 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was supporting 18 ongoing research projects investigating the impact of fracking. These studies touch upon the effect of withdrawing large volumes of water from potential drinking water supplies, the consequences of potential fracking fluid spills, the potential for drinking water contamination and the repercussions of inadequate wastewater treatment.<\/p>\n