Drillers Searching for Ways to Make Fracking More Palatable

While the following article contains erroneous information by citing Chimera Energy - a disgustingly bold-faced scam that no one seems to be talking about - as a potential player in safer fracking methods, it also has some interesting information about the efforts being put forth by drillers to develop benign additives for the fracking process.

From TribLIVE:

Industry experts call it continuous innovation: Drillers are replacing harsh chemicals with benign substances when fracking and someday soon might not need water to crack deep shale formations for natural gas.

Propane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium and water from abandoned mines or the sea are gaining a place alongside fresh water as companies work to improve the process of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and lessen risks to people and the environment, experts say.

Companies are experimenting with methods to replace water in part or entirely, or are tweaking the mix of water and chemicals they pump underground.

“Whatever chemical is being used out there, they want to make sure it’s good in the public eye, good for the growth of their company,” said Kevin Schwartz, a salesman at the Leetsdale offices of Weatherford International Ltd., an oil and gas field services company. “They want to be on the chemistry forefront.”

Most notably, companies are phasing out the use of solvents with chemicals from the BTEX family — benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes — that can cause cancer or brain problems, Schwartz said. Drillers are using ultraviolet light instead of chemicals that kill organisms to eliminate bacteria that can build when sinking wells.

Read the rest of the article here.

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