2017 Innovation Award awarded to AquaSource Technologies Corporation

The recent boom in the shale oil and gas industry has brought with it a serious problem – how to dispose of the polluted water that's used in the hydraulic fracking process. Several treatment methods have been developed, including injection of the wastewater into deep underground wells. But earthquakes that have occurred near these disposal sites are making local governments wary of this method.

AquaSource Technologies Corp. has introduced a unique method of remediating this water, according to Shyam Dighe, president, founder and CEO. "We use high-temperature plasma technology to treat wastewater generated by the oil and natural gas industry during drilling," he said. According to Dighe, the process eliminates the need for disposal of any kind, since there are no residual wastes once the technology is used. The end products of the treatment system are distilled water and salt, he explained.  Dighe indicated that ATC intends to focus on the huge volume of non-recyclable shale gas wastewater which has been estimated for US at greater than 20 billion bbl per year. By comparison, this is more than twice the amount of water that typically flows over the Niagara Falls each day.  After commercialization in the US shale gas regions, this technology will be applied to desalination of sea water worldwide.

Principal benefits of the ATC System have been demonstrated in pilot plant operating successfully since April 2017 on the site of Reserved Environmental Services, one of the largest wastewater recycling operations in south western PA.  First commercial plant capable of treating 6000 barrels per day is planned to be built in 2018. The by-products of this plant will be commercial products: water and salt which can be produced at different levels of purity. The revenue from these by-products will subsidize the treatment process allowing for a lower cost to the customer than the "hole-in-the-ground."

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SOURCE AquaSource Technologies Corporation