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Title: Predominance and metabolic potential of Halanaerobium spp. in produced water from hydraulically fractured Marcellus Shale wells

Journal Article · · Applied and Environmental Microbiology
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02659-16· OSTI ID:1351183
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [4]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  3. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA (United States); AECOM, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)
  4. National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

Here, microbial activity in the produced water from hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells may potentially interfere with hydrocarbon production and cause damage to the well and surface infrastructure via corrosion, sulfide release, and fouling. In this study, we surveyed the microbial abundance and community structure of produced water sampled from 42 Marcellus Shale wells in southwestern Pennsylvania (well age ranged from 150 to 1,846 days) to better understand the microbial diversity of produced water. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess taxonomy and utilized quantitative PCR (qPCR) to evaluate the microbial abundance across all 42 produced water samples. Bacteria of the order Halanaerobiales were found to be the most abundant organisms in the majority of the produced water samples, emphasizing their previously suggested role in hydraulic fracturing-related microbial activity. Statistical analyses identified correlations between well age and biocide formulation and the microbial community, in particular, the relative abundance of Halanaerobiales. We further investigated the role of members of the order Halanaerobiales in produced water by reconstructing and annotating a Halanaerobium draft genome (named MDAL1), using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and metagenomic binning. The recovered draft genome was found to be closely related to the species H. congolense, an oil field isolate, and Halanaerobium sp. strain T82-1, also recovered from hydraulic fracturing produced water. Reconstruction of metabolic pathways revealed Halanaerobium sp. strain MDAL1 to have the potential for acid production, thiosulfate reduction, and biofilm formation, suggesting it to have the ability to contribute to corrosion, souring, and biofouling events in the hydraulic fracturing infrastructure.

Research Organization:
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, and Morgantown, WV (United States). In-house Research
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
RES1000027/183U
OSTI ID:
1351183
Report Number(s):
NETL-PUB-20135
Journal Information:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Vol. 83, Issue 8; ISSN 0099-2240
Publisher:
American Society for MicrobiologyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 48 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (6)

Characterization and biological removal of organic compounds from hydraulic fracturing produced water journal January 2019
Coupled laboratory and field investigations resolve microbial interactions that underpin persistence in hydraulically fractured shales journal June 2018
Members of Marinobacter and Arcobacter Influence System Biogeochemistry During Early Production of Hydraulically Fractured Natural Gas Wells in the Appalachian Basin journal November 2018
Viruses control dominant bacteria colonizing the terrestrial deep biosphere after hydraulic fracturing journal December 2018
Microbial communities in Bakken region produced water journal April 2018
In situ transformation of ethoxylate and glycol surfactants by shale-colonizing microorganisms during hydraulic fracturing journal June 2019