Geochemical and microbial characterizations of flowback and produced water in three shale oil and gas plays in the central and western United States

摘要: Abstract Limited understanding of wastewater streams produced from shale oil and gas wells impedes best practices treatment reuse. This study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis flowback water three major newly developed plays (the Bakken shale, North Dakota; the Barnett Texas; Denver-Julesburg (DJ) basin, Colorado) in central western United States. Geochemical features that included more than 10 quality parameters, dissolved organic matter, as well microbial community structures were characterized compared. Results showed shales has extremely high salinity (∼295 g/L total solids (TDS)) low concentration (80–252 mg/L carbon (DOC)). In contrast, DJ basin an opposite trend with TDS (∼30 g/L) content (644 mg/L DOC). Excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectra demonstrated humic acid fluvic acid-like organics higher aromaticity existed basin. Microbial communities samples dominated by Fe (III)-reducing bacteria Geobacter, lactic Lactococcus Enterococcus, Bradyrhizobium, while abundance Rhodococcus, Thermovirga, sulfate reducing Thermotoga Petrotoga. All these are capable hydrocarbon degradation. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens archaeal all samples.