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US 8,425,775 B2Granted
Biofilm remediation of fracture fluid
AssigneeAllegheny-Singer Research Institute
InventorsJames Christopher Post, Garth David Ehrlich, John William Costerton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of in situ treatment of fracture fluid that is contaminated with a heavy metal may include passing a flow of contaminated fracture fluid through a reactor vessel. The reactor vessel may contain a plurality of biofilm retaining structures. Each of the structures may at least be partially coated with a biofilm. Additionally, the biofilm may include a plurality of bacteria retained in a matrix and the matrix may include DNA, protein and carbohydrates produced by the bacteria.
Claims3
A method of treating metal-containing wastewater, comprising:
- at a hydraulic fracturing site, forming a site-specific reaction vessel by:
- adding soil that has been exposed to flow back fracture fluid at the site into a transportable chamber containing a plurality of retaining structures, and
- cycling flow back fracture fluid from the site through the chamber a plurality of times until a biofilm forms on and at least partially covers the retaining structures;
- modifying the biofilm to include a unique identifier that will be reproduced as the biofilm reproduces in the chamber;
- introducing an additional amount of flow back fracture fluid from the site into the reaction vessel;
- holding the additional amount of the fluid in the vessel for a time sufficient for the biofilm to treat the additional amount of the fluid by removing one or more of the following metals from the fluid and containing the metal in the biofilm:
- cadmium, iron, nickel, radium, uranium, cobalt, lead, manganese or arsenic;
- and
- reusing the treated fluid at the site.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.