Some gas produced by hydraulic fracturing comes from surprise source
Some of the natural gas harvested by hydraulic fracturing operations may be of biological origin—made by microorganisms inadvertently injected into shale by oil and gas companies during the hydraulic fracturing process, a new study has found.
The study suggests that microorganisms including bacteria and archaea might one day be used to enhance methane production—perhaps by sustaining the energy a site can produce after fracturing ends.
The discovery is a result of the first detailed genomic analysis of bacteria and archaea living in deep fractured shales, and was made possible through a collaboration among universities and industry. The project is also yielding new techniques for tracing the movement of bacteria and methane within wells.
Researchers described the project’s early results on Monday, Dec. 14, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco.
“The interactions of microorganisms and chemicals introduced into the wells create a fascinating new ecosystem. Some of what we learn could make the wells more productive.”
Mouser has been conducting shale-related research funded by the National Science Foundation since 2013.
Oil and gas companies inject fluid—mostly water drawn from surface reservoirs—underground to break up shale and release the oil and gas—mostly methane—that is trapped inside. Though they’ve long known about the microbes living inside fracturing wells—and even inject biocides to keep them from clogging the equipment—nobody has known for sure where the bacteria came from until now.
The Ohio State research team is working with partners at West Virginia University to test the fluids taken from a well operated by Northeast Natural Energy in West Virginia. For more than a year, they’ve regularly measured the genes, enzymes and chemical isotopes in used fracturing fluid drawn from the well.
Learn more about the research in Pam Frost Gorder's full article here.
