Oct 22 2008
Planet Resource Recovery, Inc. is pleased to announce the successful pre-treatment of flow back water originating in the Barnett Shale of Central Texas. Building on successful testing beginning in early 2008 to remove barium from contaminated produced water from South America, Planet Resource has treated and successfully removed heavy metals and other solids from flowback water, produced water, and ground water runoff by initiation of an (EC) electrocoagulation process used in conjunction with its proprietary chemical solution, PetroLuxus(TM). Through the EC process PetroLuxus™ works on a nano scale to penetrate even the smallest particles removing entrained oil, suspended metals and other adulterates from the contaminated water. Once the pretreatment is completed, further treatment by distillation, evaporation or mechanical means will result in reclaiming the water for other uses.
Discovered in 1981, the Barnett Shale (field) encompasses five thousand square miles, across 18 counties near Dallas / Ft. Worth, Texas. This is one of the largest natural gas deposits in the United States. It boasts plentiful gas reserves estimated at greater than 27 trillion cubic feet. To extract the gas at volumes that are economical and efficient, production companies must use the hydraulic fracturing process. The process utilizes millions of gallons of water for each well. The process greatly increases the permeability and the release of trapped gas deposits. Of the water pumped into the wells approximately 80 percent of the water returns to the surface. Historically, the recovered water is discarded in disposal wells due to its saline and other contaminated contents. The cost of current wastewater disposal processes is in excess of $1.2 billion dollars per year to the industry. The gas industry, in partnership with communities and regulatory agencies, has become more aggressive about testing and employing measures to conserve and recycle the water.
Industry, drilling companies, oil and gas producers, refineries, and chemical plants produce millions of gallons of wastewater daily that is contaminated with a variety of pollutants. Treatment and disposal costs rank in the billions of dollars annually and often focus on disposal as opposed to reclamation. The consequence is declining water supplies and disposal issues.
Planet Resource Recovery’s Research and Development team continue to study and test water treatment with a wide variety of other contaminants including; chromium, titanium, sodium chloride, arsenic, mercury, and other harmful or toxic adulterates. The Company is working to develop clients for further testing and application in other water treatment applications.
With this product development, Planet Resource Recovery continues its commitment to develop products that provide solutions to better enhance the recovery, reclamation, and productive value of oil and water resources. Planet Resource Recovery is dedicated to development and expansion of environmentally friendly products that can be partnered with current processes to reduce waste and increase recovery of basic resources. As the developer and producer of these innovative products, Planet Resource Recovery is equally committed to find and promote relationships with industry leaders to test and utilize the products in areas where problems exist.