High total dissolved solids in shale gas wastewater inhibit biodegradation of alkyl and nonylphenol ethoxylate surfactants.

Hydraulic fracturing fluids are injected into unconventional oil and gas systems to stimulate hydrocarbon production, returning to the surface in flowback and produced waters containing a complex mixture of xenobiotic additives and geogenic compounds. Nonionic polyethoxylates are commonly added surfactants that act as weatherizers, emulsifiers, wetting agents, and corrosion inhibitors in hydraulic fracturing fluid formulations. Understanding the biodegradability of these ubiquitous additives is critical for produced water pre-treatment prior to reuse and for improving treatment trains for external beneficial reuse.

Draft Genome Sequences of Marinobacter Strains Recovered from Utica Shale-Produced Fluids.

The genomes of three strains, isolated from saline fluids produced from a Utica-Point Pleasant shale well, have been sequenced. These genomes provide novel information on the degradation of petroleum distillates and virulence mechanisms under microaerophilic conditions in fractured shale.

Inhibition of Biodegradation of Hydraulic Fracturing Compounds by Glutaraldehyde: Groundwater Column and Microcosm Experiments.

The rapid expansion of unconventional oil and gas development has raised concerns about the potential contamination of aquifers; however, the groundwater fate and transport of hydraulic fracturing fluid compounds and mixtures remains a significant data gap. Degradation kinetics of five hydraulic fracturing compounds (2-propanol, ethylene glycol, propargyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and 2-ethylhexanol) in the absence and presence of the biocide glutaraldehyde were investigated under a range of redox conditions using sediment-groundwater microcosms and flow-through columns. Microcosms were used to elucidate biodegradation inhibition at varying glutaraldehyde concentrations.