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CSU research could help track fracking fluid
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Research now underway at Colorado State University could eventually help track where chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing wind up once they're injected into the ground.
Vivian Li and William Sanford are partnering on research, which received its funding from the CSU Water Center. Li is an assistant professor in the Department of Design and Merchandising, and Sanford is an associate professor in the Department of Geosciences.
Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it's often called, uses chemicals and water injected under pressure deep into the ground to crack open rocks and free up tracking oil and natural gas. But the process has become the target of scrutiny amid concerns the chemicals used could pose a threat to human health.
Li and Sanford's research involves finding patterns in how nanoparticles move underground, with the idea that modified "smart" nanoparticles could be then be used to detect the presence of fracking chemicals. The initial phase of the research involves testing a specially engineered carbon nanoparticle to see how it moves beneath the earth's surface.
In the initial phase of their research, funded through a grant from the CSU Water Center, Li and Sanford are testing their specially engineered carbon nanoparticle to see how it moves through the ground. Once they understand how the particle travels through a number of subsurface environments, it could eventually be used to search for chemicals in some of Earth's most hostile underground environments.
Li and Sanford are looking to patent their nanoparticle and are planning further tests before taking it into the field.
L. Wayne Hicks is associate editor of the Denver Business Journal, writes the "Cultural Attache" blog, and compiles the daily "Morning Edition" email. Phone: 303-803-9221.
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