IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v57y2016icp669-691.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Strategies for the management and treatment of coal seam gas associated water

Author

Listed:
  • Millar, Graeme J.
  • Couperthwaite, Sara J.
  • Moodliar, Cameron D.

Abstract

Coal seam gas (CSG) is a growing industry in Queensland and represents a potential major employer and deliverer of financial prosperity for years to come. CSG is a natural gas composed primarily of methane and is found trapped underground in coal beds. During the gas extraction process, significant volumes of associated water are also produced. This associated water could be a valuable resource, however, the associated water comprises of various salt constituents that make it problematic for beneficial use. Consequently, there is a need to implement various water treatment strategies to purify the associated water to comply with Queensland’s strict guidelines and to mitigate environmental risks. The resultant brine is also of importance as ultimately it also has to be dealt with in an economical manner. In some ways it can be considered that the CSG industry does not face a water problem, as this has inherent value to society, but rather has a “salt issue” to solve. This study analyzes the options involved in both the water treatment and salt recovery processes. A brief overview of the constituents present in Queensland CS water is made to illustrate the challenges involved and a range of treatment technologies discussed. Water treatment technologies examined include clarification (ballasted flocculation, dissolved air flotation, electrocoagulation), membrane filtration (ultrafiltration), ion exchange softening and desalination (ion exchange, reverse osmosis desalination and capacitance deionization). In terms of brine management we highlighted reinjection, brine concentration ponds, membrane techniques (membrane distillation, forward osmosis), thermal methods, electrodialysis, electrodialysis reversal, bipolar membrane electrodialysis, wind assisted intensive evaporation, membrane crystallization, eutectic freeze crystallization and vapor compression. As an entirety this investigation is designed to be an important tool in developing CS water treatment management strategies for effective management in Queensland and worldwide.

Suggested Citation

  • Millar, Graeme J. & Couperthwaite, Sara J. & Moodliar, Cameron D., 2016. "Strategies for the management and treatment of coal seam gas associated water," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 669-691.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:57:y:2016:i:c:p:669-691
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.087
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032115014707
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.087?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McGlade, Christophe & Speirs, Jamie & Sorrell, Steve, 2013. "Unconventional gas – A review of regional and global resource estimates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 571-584.
    2. Ballet, Jérôme & Koffi, Jean-Marcel & Pelenc, Jérôme, 2013. "Environment, justice and the capability approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 28-34.
    3. Muyen, Zahida & Moore, Graham A. & Wrigley, Roger J., 2011. "Soil salinity and sodicity effects of wastewater irrigation in South East Australia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 99(1), pages 33-41.
    4. Alhazmy, Majed M., 2014. "Economic and thermal feasibility of multi stage flash desalination plant with brine–feed mixing and cooling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1029-1035.
    5. Hamawand, Ihsan & Yusaf, Talal & Hamawand, Sara G., 2013. "Coal seam gas and associated water: A review paper," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 550-560.
    6. van der Zee, S.E.A.T.M. & Shah, S.H.H. & van Uffelen, C.G.R. & Raats, P.A.C. & dal Ferro, N., 2010. "Soil sodicity as a result of periodical drought," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 41-49, January.
    7. Johnston, Christopher R. & Vance, George F. & Ganjegunte, Girisha K., 2008. "Irrigation with coalbed natural gas co-produced water," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 95(11), pages 1243-1252, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Qiming & li, Mingyang & Yan, Yuting & Ni, Guanhua & Guo, Zhiguo, 2023. "Influence mechanism of inorganic salts on coal permeability during foam fracturing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    2. Geng, Jiabo & Zeng, Gaoxiong & Liu, Cunyang & Li, Xiaoshuang & Zhang, Dongming, 2023. "Development and application of triaxial seepage test system for gas-water two-phase in coal rock," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    3. Nouri, Narjes & Balali, Farhad & Nasiri, Adel & Seifoddini, Hamid & Otieno, Wilkistar, 2019. "Water withdrawal and consumption reduction for electrical energy generation systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 248(C), pages 196-206.
    4. Dimitrios Koutsonikolas & George Karagiannakis & Konstantinos Plakas & Vasileios Chatzis & George Skevis & Paola Giudicianni & Davide Amato & Pino Sabia & Nikolaos Boukis & Katharina Stoll, 2022. "Membrane and Electrochemical Based Technologies for the Decontamination of Exploitable Streams Produced by Thermochemical Processing of Contaminated Biomass," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-35, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guo, Hongguang & Zhang, Yujie & Zhang, Yiwen & Li, Xingfeng & Li, Zhigang & Liang, Weiguo & Huang, Zaixing & Urynowicz, Michael & Ali, Muhammad Ishtiaq, 2021. "Feasibility study of enhanced biogenic coalbed methane production by super-critical CO2 extraction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    2. Echchelh, Alban & Hess, Tim & Sakrabani, Ruben, 2020. "Agro-environmental sustainability and financial cost of reusing gasfield-produced water for agricultural irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    3. Zhang, Qiang & Zheng, Junjie & Zhang, Baoyong & Linga, Praveen, 2021. "Coal mine gas separation of methane via clathrate hydrate process aided by tetrahydrofuran and amino acids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 287(C).
    4. Yin, Hong & Zhou, Junping & Xian, Xuefu & Jiang, Yongdong & Lu, Zhaohui & Tan, Jingqiang & Liu, Guojun, 2017. "Experimental study of the effects of sub- and super-critical CO2 saturation on the mechanical characteristics of organic-rich shales," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 84-95.
    5. Damien Bazin & Sylvie Ferrari & Richard B. Howarth, 2021. "Introducing Environmental Ethics into Economic Analysis: Some Insights from Hans Jonas' Imperative of Responsibility," GREDEG Working Papers 2021-05, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    6. Marcos-Martinez, Raymundo & Measham, Thomas G. & Fleming-Muñoz, David A., 2019. "Economic impacts of early unconventional gas mining: Lessons from the coal seam gas industry in New South Wales, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 338-346.
    7. Griffiths, Steven, 2017. "A review and assessment of energy policy in the Middle East and North Africa region," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 249-269.
    8. Edwards, Joel & Othman, Maazuza & Burn, Stewart, 2015. "A review of policy drivers and barriers for the use of anaerobic digestion in Europe, the United States and Australia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 815-828.
    9. Mabasa, Nyiko C. & Jones, Clifford L.W. & Laing, Mark, 2021. "The use of treated brewery effluent for salt tolerant crop irrigation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    10. Maestre-Valero, J.F. & Gonzalez-Ortega, M.J. & Martinez-Alvarez, V. & Gallego-Elvira, B. & Conesa-Jodar, F.J. & Martin-Gorriz, B., 2019. "Revaluing the nutrition potential of reclaimed water for irrigation in southeastern Spain," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 174-181.
    11. Sharan, Prashant & Bandyopadhyay, Santanu, 2016. "Energy optimization in parallel/cross feed multiple-effect evaporator based desalination system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 756-767.
    12. Yoann Verger, 2018. "First steps for a Sraffian ecological economics. An answer to Martins' “The Classical Circular Economy, Sraffian Ecological Economics and the Capabilities Approach”," Working Papers hal-01700228, HAL.
    13. Tunstall, Thomas, 2015. "Iterative Bass Model forecasts for unconventional oil production in the Eagle Ford Shale," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(P1), pages 580-588.
    14. Bern, Carleton R. & Breit, George N. & Healy, Richard W. & Zupancic, John W., 2013. "Deep subsurface drip irrigation using coal-bed sodic water: Part II. Geochemistry," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 135-149.
    15. Beling, Adrián E. & Vanhulst, Julien & Demaria, Federico & Rabi, Violeta & Carballo, Ana E. & Pelenc, Jérôme, 2018. "Discursive Synergies for a ‘Great Transformation’ Towards Sustainability: Pragmatic Contributions to a Necessary Dialogue Between Human Development, Degrowth, and Buen Vivir," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 304-313.
    16. Zolfaghary, Parvin & Zakerinia, Mahdi & Kazemi, Hossein, 2021. "A model for the use of urban treated wastewater in agriculture using multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) and geographic information system (GIS)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    17. Imbernón-Mulero, Alberto & Gallego-Elvira, Belén & Martínez-Alvarez, Victoriano & Acosta, José A. & Antolinos, Vera & Robles, Juan M. & Navarro, Josefa M. & Maestre-Valero, José F., 2024. "Irrigation of young grapefruits with desalinated seawater: Agronomic and economic outcomes," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    18. Hamawand, Ihsan & Yusaf, Talal & Hamawand, Sara G., 2013. "Coal seam gas and associated water: A review paper," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 550-560.
    19. Marco Setti & Matteo Garuti, 2018. "Identity, Commons and Sustainability: An Economic Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-12, February.
    20. Yosuke Shigetomi & Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Susumu Tohno, 2016. "Influence of income difference on carbon and material footprints for critical metals: the case of Japanese households," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:57:y:2016:i:c:p:669-691. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.