FRACKING

Index1. What is fracking?

2. Problems with fracking3. Solution.

1.What is fracking?

Fracking is a common term to refer to the technique of hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of unconventional gas. Involves the extraction of natural gas by the fracturing of the rock mother (slates and schists). A mixed drilling technique is used to extract the gas trapped in the rock: first drilling up to 5000 meters vertically and then punched several kilometers in horizontal (2-5). Then inject water with sand (98%) and a series of chemical additives (2%) to great pressure. This makes that you crack the rock and gas is released and ascends to the surface through the well. The process is repeated through the grain of rock rich in gas. Some of the injected mixture returns to the surface.

1.Tanker trucks deliver water, wich is mixed with sand and chemicals before it’s being pumped into the well.2.The energy from the highly pressurized fluid creates new channels in the rocks to release the trapped natural gas.3.Natural gas flows out of the well and into storage tanks. The recovered water is stored into open pits and then delivered into treatment facilities.4.Stored gas from the site is sent to the markets via networks of pipes.Hydraulic fracturing is literally to crush rocks with sand and loads of harmful chemicals in order to bring gas to the surface.

2. Problems with frackingOver 600 of the chemicals wich are used for doing fracking fluid are cancerigenous such as: uranium, formaldehyde, methane, radon, mercury… During this process, methane gas and toxic chemicals leach out from the system and contaminate nearby groundwater. Methane concentrations are 17x higher in drinking-water wells near fracturing sites than in normal wells.There have been over 1000 documented cases of water contamination next to areas of gas drilling as well as cases of sensory,respiratory and neurological damage due to ingested contaminated water.Only 30-50% of the fracturing fluid is recovered, the rest of the toxic fluid is left in the ground and is not biodegradable.In the end, hydraulic fracking produces aprox. 300.000 barrels of natural gas a day, but the price of numerous environmental , safety and healthcare hazards.And also release volatile gas to the atmosphere creating contaminated air, acid rain, and ground level ozone.And also a huge amount of water is spent on fracking.The pipes and barrers could fail, or rain could do the tanks to flood so its easy for contaminated water to filter to the environment.

Contamination of groundwater

Methane pollution and its impact on climate change

Air pollution impacts

Exposure to toxic chemicals

Blowouts due to gas explosion

Waste disposal

Large volume water use in water-deficient regions

Fracking-induced earthquakes

Workplace safety

Infrastructure degradation

The paper compiled a list of 632 chemicals (an incomplete list due to trade secrecy exemptions) identified from drilling operations throughout the U.S. Their research found that 75% of the chemicals could affect the skin, eyes,and other sensory organs, and the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Approximately 40–50% could affect the brain/nervous system, immune and cardiovascular systems, and the kidneys; 37% could affect the endocrine system; and 25% could cause cancer and mutations.

Fracking Is not good for nature because of all contaminating chemical substances.

4. Solution There is no clear solutions to fracking because green fracking is more expensive but less contaminating than normal cheap fracking. Green fracking would cost about 25% more.