Shale Gas Development: Would it become more sustainable and less polluting in the near future?
1. What is the current status of fracking (high-volume, slick-water hydraulic fracturing) with reference to the extraction of shale-gas across the globe?
2. Whether the use of water (around 25 million liters of water forced under pressure into each well), along with 200,000 – 400,000 liters of acids, biocides, friction-reducers, surfactants & scale-inhibitors, in addition to large volumes of sand (proppants) – would remain to be environmentally sensitive in the context of groundwater protection (safe water drinking act) and land-subsidence in the long run?
Can’t we use fracking additives that remain to be non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic?
How do we handle the fracking fluid that flows back up the well to the surface, over the life-time of the well?
Can we collect such fluids in open pits or large tanks - that has carried not only hydrocarbons but also some heavy metals and radioactive materials from the shale?
3. Whether precision drilling of wells (which could follow the contour of a shale layer closely for 4 km at depths of greater than 2 km) continue to dominate the petroleum industry as on date?
4. Whether the diesel pumps used to inject water – during shale-gas development – create a significant air pollution (benzene concentration)?
5. When would shale-gas become profitable? Upon carrying out an unprecedented rate of well drilling and fracking?
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