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Frack Water Market to Grow Nine-fold to $9 Billion in 2020, Boosting New Technologies

May 9, 2012 @ 9:26 am
posted by admin

PRESS RELEASE

May 1, 2012, 7:30 a.m. EDT

Frack Water Market to Grow Nine-fold to $9 Billion in 2020, Boosting New Technologies

Shale gas is poised to expand outside the U.S., offering 28% annual growth in water treatment, but risks overexposure for start-ups chasing the market, says Lux Research.

 

BOSTON, May 01, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — With hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” — the use of high pressure water to help extract previously inaccessible shale gas — eager to replicate its success outside the U.S., the market for water treatment will grow nine-fold to $9 billion in 2020. This expansion will spur technology innovation and novel thinking about water disposal and reuse, but the field is rapidly growing overcrowded, creating significant risk for new entrants, Lux Research said in a report.

Fracking requires between 4,000 m(3) and over 22,000 m(3) (25,000 bbl to 140,000 bbl) of water per well and produces toxin-laced brine that can be more than six times as salty as the sea. Its growth has energized the water industry, inspiring a bumper crop of new water treatment startups vying to treat the highly challenging flowback water.

“Fracking represents a significant water treatment challenge — hydrocarbons, heavy metals, scalants, microbes, and salts in produced and flowback water from shale gas wells represent a water treatment challenge on par with the most difficult industrial wastewaters,” said Brent Giles, Lux Research Analyst and the lead author of the report titled, “Risk and Reward in the Frack Water Market.”

“While the opportunity is large, only a few companies are really positioned to profit. Meanwhile, nearly every start-up we talk to is going after frack water, regardless of their technology, and many of them are going to come to grief,” he added.

Lux Research positioned key companies on the Lux Innovation Grid based on their Technical Value and Business Execution — companies that are strong on both axes reach the “Dominant” quadrant — and also assessed each company’s maturity, and provided an overall Lux Take. Among its findings:

– WaterTectonics has technology and alliances. WaterTectonics’ high-energy electrocoagulation technology addresses heavy metals, biological matter, and hydrocarbons, but leaves salt in place, meaning its use is restricted to areas where salt levels are moderate. Still, with its long-term alliance with Halliburton, WaterTectonics reaches the “Dominant” quadrant.

– EcoSphere, AquaMost lead in oxidation technologies. EcoSphere combines ozone, cavitation, and electrochemistry, and the $9 million company leads in the “Dominant” quadrant. AquaMost, an early-stage startup, uses catalyzed UV to achieve many of the same results, but also removes metals. It ranks as “High potential” with strong technical value.

– GasFrac is poised to disrupt the industry. GasFrac, with technology licensed from Chevron, uses high-pressure propane, rather than high-pressure water, to fracture gas wells. Its technology is being tested by Shell, Blackbrush, Husky, and Chevron, among others. With 300 employees, revenues of $300 million, and $50 million on hand, the profitable company outstrips every water start-up in our lineup, positioned in the “Dominant” quadrant and earning a “Strong Positive” Lux Take.

The report, titled “Risk and Reward in the Frack Water Market,” is part of the Lux Research Water Intelligence service.

About Lux Research

Lux Research provides strategic advice and on-going intelligence for emerging technologies. Leaders in business, finance and government rely on us to help them make informed strategic decisions. Through our unique research approach focused on primary research and our extensive global network, we deliver insight, connections and competitive advantage to our clients. Visit www.luxresearchinc.com for more information.

SOURCE: Lux Research, Inc.

        Lux Research, Inc.
        Carole Jacques, 617-502-5314
        carole.jacques@luxresearchinc.com
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WC&P Online – Ask the Expert

April 16, 2012 @ 11:37 am
posted by Greg Reyneke

Ask the Expert: Ceramic Filters

Q: I am curious about the cleaning of MSR ceramic filters. All instruction manuals indicate that the ceramic filter can be scrubbed and rinsed to expose a newly useable layer of ceramic, and they do indicate that clean water should be used in the rinsing. I haven’t found any reference to the importance of using clean water. I am trying to convince a group of backpackers that their technique of washing the filter off in the stream they are filtering water from is contaminating the clean water supply, but cannot find any sources to validate my claims. Do you know of any research, articles, or references I could point them towards so that I may hike safely with them in the future?
Colleen Lambo
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens

A: I don’t know of any legitimate peer-reviewed research data out there to conclusively validate or invalidate the question. Anecdotally from my experience with Katadyn and Doulton/Fairey Industrial ceramic products in military and civilian applications, the manufacturers emphasize ‘clean’ water for the scrub and rinse to ensure that the cleaning process doesn’t introduce additional large particles/biofilm that would subsequently plug the pores in the ceramic candle and negate the benefits of the scrubbing.

I hope that comfort can be given towards contaminating the clean water supply by thinking about the net organic/pathogenic loading from the small quantity of contaminant being scrubbed off into the stream and realizing it is really no worse than the excrement from a small mammal or bird (fish also excrete in streams). The small volume is quickly diluted and oxidized, so I certainly wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. The miniscule amount of ceramic that is scrubbed off is diatomaceous and no different than the bulk of insoluble sediment in the stream already. If one wanted to be extremely careful, the bulk of the material could be scraped off into a cat-hole (located at least six feet from the water source), rinsed into the hole with water taken from the stream and then burying it all.
Greg Reyneke, CWS-VI
Intermountain Soft Water

A: I concur with Greg’s assessment of the cleaning process of the ceramic surface of the filters. If the cartridges are open on both ends, then it would be a fatal mistake to rinse those in an open stream or other non-potable water source. The candle-type filters that are closed on one end are recommended for the outfitter program. The outlet tip of the filter can be capped to keep the internal area of the filter from being contaminated. I would recommend keeping a separate cleaning vessel dedicated with a known water quality for cleaning. This will take a little bit of planning but it is well worth the effort when you consider the health problems associated with Giardia lamblia and other pathogens that can create gastrointestinal problems that require harsh antibiotics to restore health.

When cleaning the filter(s), use a good plastic stiff bristle brush for scrubbing the outside of the ceramic cartridge. Another point that should be taken into consideration is the care of your hands. If you have open cuts or abrasions on your hands, you would be well advised to pack several pairs of latex gloves to help prevent getting any bugs from setting up housekeeping internally. It is always advisable to wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning the cartridge so you don’t accidentally ingest the very thing you are trying not to ingest in the first place.

As an aside, there are some very high-quality drinking water straws that claim 99.999-percent removal of pathogens from the water that are easy to pack and maintain in the field. These straws use a special porous membrane that has proven to be as effective as the ceramic filters. Perhaps the writer could research that as well. I will look into this issue further at her request.
Gary Battenberg
Good Water Company

A: I think the whole purpose in cleaning these filters is to remove whatever is clogging them up without getting any of it on the inside of the filter. To that end, I don’t see any reason to use a clean water source or not to use a questionable water source. Whatever is available.
C. F. ‘Chubb’ Michaud, CWS-VI
Systematix, Inc.

Editor’s note: Some discussion resulted over the possible use of urine, as it has been widely believed to be sterile. A recent study from Loyola University, however, disputes this position. It indicates urine is not sterile and does indeed harbor bacteria. In response to the additional information, the following comments were elicited:

“It would certainly be better to use clean water, but I would not use urine. The good side of rinsing off the residue in the stream is that it won’t have the concentrated contaminants that are on the surface of the filter.”
Peter S. Cartwright, PE
Cartwright Consulting

“The key is clarity or lack of solids in the cleaning fluid. The word clean shouldn’t be inferred to mean sterile, merely ‘clear’ – devoid of large particulates and suspended solids. The cleaning fluid is used on the influent side of the ceramic barrier, so any pathogenic/non-pathogenic organisms will be captured and prevented from passing through to the other side, assuming that they’re larger than the filter’s absolute pore size. A smart hiker will understand the dynamics of the tools that they are using for life preservation and work with them accordingly. From a practical perspective, microfilters like this are designed to reject sub-micron particles, and a properly designed/deployed prefilter is key to minimizing maintenance. The challenge presented to the filter should be proportional to the pore size. Pumping muddy sludge into the filter will plug it much faster than allowing turbid water to settle, or even filtering it through a simple filter to clarify. An old sock is better than nothing as a prefilter to prevent large particulate from plugging the ceramic.” Greg Reyneke

“I see no need to be concerned with drying. Just don’t get questionable water used for cleaning on the INSIDE of the filter. These filters works as barriers. Water can squeeze through the pores but critters cannot.” C. F. ‘Chubb’ Michaud

 

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WQA Aquatech 2012 – Water and Nutritional Supplements

March 8, 2012 @ 8:00 am
posted by Greg Reyneke

My presentation at WQA Aquatech 2012 is about the importance of water quality experts having a better understanding of water, health, aquaceuticals, nutraceuticals and other related technologies. Our industry has focused for so long on REMOVING things from water that we have forgotten that we can actually ADD things to make water even better for our clients.

There have been a number of pseudo-scientific claims made over the years about various products and supplements like alkaline water machines (Allsbon, Kangen, Jupiter, Life, NewCell,  etc…), alkaline water filters (BioCera, BioStone, Elita, Naia etc…), and various supplements. Our industry has become very jaded trying to filter out the nonsense from the truth, and even our customers have become increasingly skeptical of the claims being made.

As water quality experts, we have a responsibility to learn as much as we can about the technologies available and to also be a resource to our clients who want to improve and maintain their health through the marriage of purified water and scientifically formulated nutritional supplements.

Greg Reyneke WQA-Aquatech 2012 – Full Page Handouts

Greg Reyneke WQA-Aquatech 2012 – 3 Slides per page

 

Robert Slovak’s Presentation is about truly understanding the difference between pH and alkalinity; especially when discussing “Alkaline Water” and the effect it has on human health. He has published testing data demonstration the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of various technologies in introducing true alkalinity into water. His discussion on understanding the anti-oxidant benefits of “Negative ORP” water is quite clear and easily to understand.

Robert Slovak – Alkalinity – WQA Aquatech 2012 – Full Page Handouts

Robert Slovak – Alkalinity – WQA Aquatech 2012 – Handouts

My current favorite Nutraceutical Company is Next Nutrition. Next Nutrition is a privately held company whose focus and mission is to create pure, potent, organic nutritional supplements that are not only a great value, but also genuinely make a difference to the health and well-being of their customers.  Beginning with purified water, their product formulations combine special ingredients to achieve mineralization, antioxidants and alkalinity in a unique way to increase the bio-availability to the body.

 

 

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