Deep underground lies stores of once inaccessible natural gas. This gas was
likely formed over millions of years as layers of decaying organisms were
exposed to intense heat and pressure under the Earth's crust. There's a
technology called hydraulic fracturing or fracking that can extract this
natural gas potentially powering us for decades to come.
So how does fracking work and why is it a source of such heated controversy?
A fracking site can be anywhere with natural gas from a remote desert to
several hundred feet from your backyard it starts out with a long vertical hole
known as a well bore drill down through layers of sediment when the well reaches
2,500 to 3,000 metres it's at its kickoff point where it can begin the
process of horizontal drilling it turns 90 degrees and extends horizontally for
about 1.5 kilometers through a compressed black layer called the shale
rock formation a specialized perforating gun is then lowered and fired creating a
series of small inch long holes that burst through the wells casing into the
rock layer about three to four months after the initial drilling the well is
ready for fracking to begin fracking fluid is pumped down into the well at a
pressure so high it cracks the shale rock creating fractures through which
the trapped gas and oil can escape the fluid itself is more than 90% water the
rest is made up of concentrated chemical additives these vary depending on the
specific characteristics of the fracking site but usually fall into three
categories acids for clearing debris and dissolving minerals friction reducing
compounds to create a slippery form of water known as slick water
and disinfectant to prevent bacterial growth sand or clay is also mixed into
the water to prop open the fissures so the gas and oil can keep leaking out
even after the pressure is released it's estimated that all of fracking's
intense pumping and flushing uses an average of 3 to 6 million gallons of
water per well that's actually not a lot compared to agriculture power plants or
even golf course maintenance but it can have a notable impact on local water
supply and disposing of used fracking water is also an issue along with the
trapped gas that's pumped up to the surface millions of gallons of flowback
liquid come gushing up this liquid containing contaminants like radioactive
material salts heavy metals and hydrocarbons needs to be stored and
disposed of that's usually done in pits on-site in deep wells or off-site at
water treatment facilities another option is to recycle the flow vac liquid
but the recycling process can actually increase levels of contamination since
the water is more toxic with each use wells are typically encased in steel and
cement to prevent contaminants from leaking into groundwater but any
negligence or fracking related accidents can have devastating effects fracturing
directly into underground water hazardous underground seepage and
leakage and inadequate treatment and disposal of highly toxic waste water can
potentially contaminate drinking water around a fracking site there's also
concern about the threat of earthquakes and damaged infrastructure from pressure
and wastewater injection links between fracking and increased seismic activity
leave unresolved questions about long-term pressure envelop reasons that
might be vini carseat fracking's biggest
controversy though is happening above the ground the general consensus is that
burning natural gas is better for the environment than burning coal since the
gas collected from fracking emits only half the carbon dioxide as coal per unit
of energy the pollution caused by the fracking itself though isn't negligible
methane leaks out during the drilling and pumping process is many times more
potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas some scientists argue
that methane eventually dissipates so has a relatively low long-term impact
but a greater question hangs in the air does fracking take time money and
research away from the development of cleaner renewable energy sources
natural gas is non-renewable and the short-run economic interest supporting
fracking may fall short in the face of global climate change
experts are still examining fracking's overarching effects although modern
fracking has been around since the 1940s it's boomed in the last few decades as
other sources of natural gas decrease the costs of non renewable energies
arise and cutting-edge technologies make it so accessible but many countries and
regions have already banned fracking in response to environmental concerns it's
undeniable that fracking has reshaped the energy landscape around the world
but for what long-term benefits and at what cost
you