Microbial communities in freshwater used for hydraulic fracturing are unable to withstand the high temperatures and pressures characteristic of fractured shales.
| Title: | Microbial communities in freshwater used for hydraulic fracturing are unable to withstand the high temperatures and pressures characteristic of fractured shales. |
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| Authors: | Nixon SL; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.; Plominsky AM; Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.; Hernandez-Becerra N; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.; Boothman C; Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.; Bartlett DH; Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA. |
| Source: | Access microbiology [Access Microbiol] 2023 Apr 21; Vol. 5 (4). Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 21 (Print Publication: 2023). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Microbiology Society Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101746927 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2516-8290 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 25168290 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Access Microbiol Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : Microbiology Society, [2019]- |
| Abstract: | Natural gas is recovered from shale formations by hydraulic fracturing, a process known to create microbial ecosystems in the deep subsurface. Microbial communities that emerge in fractured shales include organisms known to degrade fracturing fluid additives and contribute to corrosion of well infrastructure. In order to limit these negative microbial processes, it is essential to constrain the source of the responsible micro-organisms. Previous studies have identified a number of potential sources, including fracturing fluids and drilling muds, yet these sources remain largely untested. Here, we apply high-pressure experimental approaches to assess whether the microbial community in synthetic fracturing fluid made from freshwater reservoir water can withstand the temperature and pressure conditions of hydraulic fracturing and the fractured shale environment. Using cell enumerations, DNA extraction and culturing, we show that the community can withstand high pressure or high temperature alone, but the combination of both is fatal. These results suggest that initial freshwater-based fracturing fluids are an unlikely source of micro-organisms in fractured shales. These findings indicate that potentially problematic lineages, such as sulfidogenic strains of Halanaerobium that have been found to dominate fractured shale microbial communities, likely derive from other input sources into the downwell environment, such as drilling muds.; (© 2023 The Authors.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: fractured shale microbial communities; fracturing fluid additives; high pressure; hydraulic fracturing |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20230524 Latest Revision: 20230525 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC10202394 |
| DOI: | 10.1099/acmi.0.000515.v3 |
| PMID: | 37223063 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article