Government approves request to dispose of treated fracking wastewater via Lafarge cement kiln

The Government of Nova Scotia, Canada, has approved a request from Atlantic Industrial Services to dispose of a further 5 million litres of treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater. Lafarge will use the water as a coolant for its kiln at the Brookfield cement plant, where it will be evaporated at 700 °C.

Atlantic Industrial Services will transport the water from the Debert holding ponds to the Lafarge Brookfield plant by truck, beginning this week. The transfer of water is expected to take a total of 167 truckloads, at a rate of 3 – 5 truckloads/day.

The Government’s authorisation follows a pilot project at the Lafarge plant earlier this year. As in the pilot project, the 5 million litres of wastewater will be treated for naturally occurring radioactive materials and put through reverse-osmosis. The treated wastewater meets the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers and Health Canada guidelines for release into freshwater.

Commenting on the pilot project, Environment Minister Randy Delorey said he was pleased that it demonstrated that evaporation is a viable disposal solution for existing hydraulic fracturing wastewater in the province. Results from the pilot project can be found here.

There are 10 million litres of wastewater remaining in two ponds at the Atlantic Industrial Services site. Triangle Petroleum has 20 million litres of wastewater in two holding ponds in Kennetcook, Hants Co. The wastewater at both locations is from high pressure hydraulic fracturing that was carried out between 2007 and 2008.

Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/29102014/lafarge-brookfield-plant-to-use-fracking-wastewater-to-cool-kiln-759/