Review on Shale Gas Produced Water Chemical Characteristics and Treatment Techniques

Water treatment techniques can be applied in shale gas produced water have been discussed, including membrane filtration, advanced oxidation process, and electrochemical techniques. Membrane filtration was effective to decrease TDS, organic matter, etc. Fouling was still a major challenge during the membrane recovery. Advanced oxidation process was suitable for organic matter removal, and electrochemical techniques could be applied for TDS, heavy metals, and organic matters. No documented case of the use of these technologies in shale gas field applications was found. Thus, practice of treatment of produced water needed to be evaluated. Recommendation was given that water treatment technique should be selected and applied based on the produced water characteristics and joint technique might be required according to the complex of produced water.