Impact of Oil & Gas Wastewater Disposal on Lake and River Sediments

PI姓名：William D.BurgoProposal编号：1703412 2015年，非常规石油和天然气(O&amp；G)井占美国石油产量的一半以上，天然气产量的三分之二以上。与常规钻井相比，非常规钻井产生的废水通常是常规钻井的50至60倍。非传统O&amp；G开发项目的增长引发了人们对废水管理可能存在的风险的担忧。一些设施接受O&Amp；G废水进行处理，然后将处理后的水排放到溪流中；然而，这些设施可能无法充分去除所有令人担忧的污染物。这项研究将提供证据，证明不适当的O&A；G废水管理可能对健康和环境造成不利影响。研究结果有望帮助监管机构和行业改进O&A；G废水管理策略，防止化学品进入环境。该项目的目标是确定沉积物记录中的化学特征是否可以用来量化O&A；G废水处理的历史影响，并评估O&A；G废水处理污染的沉积物的潜在生物毒性。为实现这些目标，将完成一系列任务。将确定具有大量O&Amp；G废水处理和泥沙保持的水动力条件的流域。对于这些水库，将开发沉积物沉积模型，以重建沉积物地层学，并确定保留连贯时间记录的沉积物采样位置。将组织实地采样活动，从这些地点收集完整的沉积物岩芯。岩心处理将产生沉积物和孔隙水的成对样本，作为深度的函数。沉积物年龄将根据210-Pb和7-Be剖面确定。这些岩心中沉积层的物理、化学和毒物学特性将被用来识别具有不同O&G化学特征的沉积区间。与O&Amg废水相关的令人关注的污染物包括盐类、碱土金属、自然产生的放射性物质和特殊的有机添加剂。将对孔洞水样进行污染指标分析，包括阴离子(氯、溴、硫酸)、阳离子(钠、钙、钡、锶、镁)和痕量金属(如镉、铬、砷、铅)。沉积物将被干燥并分析这些相同的元素。虽然主要元素浓度可以表明O&A；G废水的潜在影响，但也将测量可以区分可能的污染源(例如，常规和非常规O&A；G地层水)的同位素比率(226-Ra/228-Ra和87-Sr/86-Sr)。沉积物和孔隙水中的有机污染物将通过非目标分析来表征。沉积物的毒性将使用一套基于人体细胞的生物分析方法进行评估。特定的受体将被用来检测毒性反应，如DNA损伤、异种代谢的诱导、适应性应激反应和激素介导的活动。计划开展外展活动，通过美国化学学会(ACS)的科学与国会计划与政策制定者、通过美国化学学会全国会议上的技术会议与科学界、与克里克有联系的当地学校--阿勒格尼学院的K-12教学培训计划--以及当地分水岭小组的公民讨论研究的结果和影响。

PI Name: William D. BurgosProposal Number: 1703412In 2015, unconventional Oil & Gas (O&G) wells accounted for more than 1/2 of the oil and 2/3 of the natural gas produced in the US. Unconventional O&G wells typically produce 50 - 60 times more wastewater compared with conventionally drilled O&G wells. The growth in unconventional O&G development has raised concerns about possible risks associated with wastewater management. Some facilities accept O&G wastewater for treatment and then discharge the treated water to streams; however, these facilities may not adequately remove all of the contaminants of concern. This study will provide evidence on potential adverse health and environmental impacts resulting from inadequate O&G wastewater management. The results are expected to help regulators and industry improve O&G wastewater management strategies and prevent chemicals from entering the environment.The objectives of this project are to determine if chemical signatures in the sediment record can be used to quantify the historical impacts of O&G wastewater disposal, and to evaluate the potential biological toxicity of sediments contaminated by O&G wastewater disposal. A series of tasks will be completed to accomplish these objectives. Watersheds with significant amounts of O&G wastewater disposal and hydrodynamic conditions for sediment retention will be identified. For these reservoirs, sediment deposition models will be developed to reconstruct the sediment stratigraphy and identify sediment sampling locations that retain a coherent temporal record. Field sampling campaigns will be organized to collect intact sediment cores from these locations. Core processing will yield paired samples of sediments and porewaters as a function of depth. Sediment age will be determined based on 210-Pb and 7-Be profiles. The physical, chemical, and toxicological properties of the sediment layers in these cores will be characterized to identify sediment intervals with distinct O&G chemical signatures. Contaminants of concern associated with O&G wastewater include salts, alkaline earth metals, naturally occurring radioactive materials, and specialty organic additives. Porewater samples will be analyzed for indicators of contamination, including anions (Cl, Br, SO4), cations (Na, Ca, Ba, Sr, Mg), and trace metals (e.g., Cd, Cr, As, Pb). Sediments will be dried and analyzed for these same elements. While major element concentrations can indicate potential impacts from O&G wastewater, isotopic ratios (226-Ra/228-Ra and 87-Sr/86-Sr) that can distinguish possible contaminant sources (e.g., conventional versus unconventional O&G formation waters) will also be measured. Organic contaminants in the sediments and porewaters will be characterized by non-targeted analyses. The toxicity of the sediments will be evaluated using a suite of human cell-based bioanalytical assays. Specific receptors will be used to detect toxic responses such as DNA damage, induction of xenobiotic metabolisms, adaptive stress responses, and hormone-mediated activity. Outreach activities are planned to discuss results and implications of the research with policymakers through the American Chemical Society's (ACS) Science & the Congress program, the scientific community through technical sessions at ACS National Meetings, local schools with Creek Connections -- a K-12 teaching training program at Allegheny College, and citizens in local watershed groups.