Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland

Lee Fergusson

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland

Lee Fergusson

Published in American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 3, Issue 5)

Received: 11 October 2014 Accepted: 27 October 2014 Published: 30 October 2014

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Abstract

Coal seam gas (CSG) has become an increasingly common method of extracting methane from coal in Australia, with more than 20,000 wells expected to enter production by 2020. However, large quantities of “produced water” also come to the surface with gas, and these several thousand litres of water per day per well have to be managed sustainably. Furthermore, up to five percent of produced water is composed of suspended or dissolved solids, most typically present in the form of salty brines and a range of other elements, sometimes including benzene and other hydrocarbons like phenols. CSG solids therefore have a high pH and total alkalinity, and hence have elevated electrical conductivity. As a consequence, the settled solids from CSG extraction have no proven beneficial reuse value, and successful revegetation of dams and untreated sediments is limited to salt-tolerant grass species but is often impossible using any species under any condition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the remediation of CSG dam sediments from Queensland for the purposes of determining their potential beneficial reuse as “clean, usable soil” in revegetation projects. Experiment #1, a field trial conducted in the Bowen Basin, examined the impact of various additives to two different types of CSG dam sediments. Experiment #1 found that both types of sediment could be remediated, examples of which include decreases in pH from 10.0 to 7.4, chloride from 19,900mg/kg to 1,770mg/kg, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) from 23meq/100g to 4.0meq/100g, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 931meq/100g to 44meq/100g, and increases in total phosphorus from 27mg/kg to 855mg/kg and total nitrogen from 950mg/kg to 3,520mg/kg. These findings confirm that contaminated CSG sediments have beneficial reuse potential in dam decommissioning and revegetation projects. Experiment #2, a bench-scale test utilizing samples of treated sediments from Experiment #1, examined the revegetation potential of these remediated CSG sediments. Experiment #2 showed that both types of CSG dam sediment could be effectively revegetated using non-salt-tolerant grass species, while untreated sediments were not suitable for revegetation. However, the design and scale of this work need to be expanded, and variables such as sediment pH, CEC and SAR should be monitored and controlled more carefully before fully reliable conclusions can be made about the revegetation potential of treated CSG dam sediments.

Published in	American Journal of Environmental Protection (Volume 3, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
Page(s)	249-257
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Beneficial Reuse, Coal Seam Gas, CSG, Sediments, Remediation, Revegetation

References

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[2]	Baker, G. and Slater, S. (2008). Coal seam gas: An increasingly significant source of natural gas in eastern Australia, PESA EABS III Symposium, Sydney, September 14-17, 2008, 378-391.
[3]	Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2014). Queensland’s coal seam gas overview. Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Report No. B/Brochures/CSG/CC13- PET001, Queensland Government, Brisbane, January 2014.
[4]	Cook, P.J. (2013). Life cycle of coal seam gas projects: Technologies and potential impacts. Report for the New South Wales Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer, Sydney, June 2013.
[5]	Sydney Catchment Authority (2012). Literature review: Coal seam gas impacts on water resources. Sydney Catchment Authority, New South Wales Government, Penrith, New South Wales, December 2012.
[6]	Khan, S. and Kordek, G. (2013). Coal seam gas: Produced water and solids. Prepared for the New South Wales Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer, School of Civil Environmental Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, June 2013.
[7]	Cubby, B. (2010). Origin stops coal seam gas drilling after chemicals found in water. The Sydney Morning Herald, October 21, 2010.
[8]	Lloyd-Smith, M. and Senjen, R. (2011). Hydraulic fracturing in coal seam gas mining: The risks to our health, communities, environment and climate. National Toxics Network, Bangalow, NSW, July 2011.
[9]	Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (2012). Coal seam gas: Produced water and site management. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Clayton South, Victoria.
[10]	Egan G (2012). CSG waste water trucked to Ipswich. The Queensland Times, June 13, 2012.
[11]	Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (2012). CSG/LNG compliance plan 2012-2013. Energy Resources and Enforcement Branch of the Environmental Services and Regulation Division, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, State Government of Queensland, Brisbane, November 2012.
[12]	Glynn, P. (2009). Treatment options for water produced by CSG extraction, Gas Today, November 2009.
[13]	Murray R.S., and Grant, C.D. (2007). The impact of irrigation on soil structure. School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, National Program for Sustainable Irrigation (Land & Water Australia), July 2007.
[14]	Fergusson, L. (2009). Commercialisation of environmental technologies derived from alumina refinery residues: A ten-year case history of Virotec. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Project ATF-06-3 “Management of Bauxite Residues”, Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (DRET), Commonwealth Government of Australia, Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, Canberra.
[15]	Fergusson, L. (2012). ViroMine technology: A solution to the world’s mining megawaste, Prana World Publishing, Gold Coast, Australia, 170pp.
[16]	Fergusson, L. (2007). The conversion and sustainable use of alumina refinery residues: Global solution examples, in Light Metals 2007, edited by T.J. Galloway, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, 2007, pp. 105-112.
[17]	Taylor, K., Mullett, M., Adamson, H., Wehrli, J. and Fergusson, L. (2011). Application of nanofiltration technology to improve sea water neutralization of Bayer process residue, in Light Metals 2011, edited by Stephen J. Lindsay, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New York, 2011, 79-87.
[18]	Fergusson, L. (2010). Virotec: A ten-year story of success in environmental remediation, Prana World Publishing, Gold Coast, Australia, 189pp.
[19]	Clark, M.W., McConchie, D., Berry, J., Caldicott, W., Davies-McConchie, F., and Castro, J. (2004). Bauxsol technology to treat acid and metals: Applications in the coal industry. In J. Skousen and T. Hilton (Eds.), proceedings of the Joint Conference of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation and the 25th West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force, Morgantown, West Virginia, April 18-24, 2004, 292-313.
[20]	Fergusson, L. (2013). An industrial legacy now gone, Water Management and Environment, 24(1), 40.
[21]	McConchie, D., Clark, M., Maddocks, G., Davies-McConchie, F., Pope, S., and Caldicott, W. (2003). The use of Bauxsol technology in mine site management and remediation. In proceedings of the CIM Mining Industry Conference, Montreal, May 2003, Disk Record s33a1141, 20pp.
[22]	Environment Protection Authority (2009). Industrial waste resource guidelines: Soil hazard categorisation and management. Environment Protection Authority, Victorian Government, Melbourne, 2009.
[23]	National Environment Protection Council (2013). National environment protection (assessment of site contamination) amendment measure 2013, National Environment Protection Council, Canberra.
[24]	Department of Natural Resources Queensland (1997). Salinity management handbook. Department of Natural Resources, Brisbane, Queensland, 1997.
[25]	Wagner, R. (1987). Dryland salinity in the south-east region. Soil Conservation Service of NSW, Sydney, NSW.

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Lee Fergusson. (2014). Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 3(5), 249-257. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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ACS Style

Lee Fergusson. Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2014, 3(5), 249-257. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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AMA Style

Lee Fergusson. Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. Am J Environ Prot. 2014;3(5):249-257. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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@article{10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17,
  author = {Lee Fergusson},
  title = {Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland},
  journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {249-257},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20140305.17},
  abstract = {Coal seam gas (CSG) has become an increasingly common method of extracting methane from coal in Australia, with more than 20,000 wells expected to enter production by 2020. However, large quantities of “produced water” also come to the surface with gas, and these several thousand litres of water per day per well have to be managed sustainably. Furthermore, up to five percent of produced water is composed of suspended or dissolved solids, most typically present in the form of salty brines and a range of other elements, sometimes including benzene and other hydrocarbons like phenols. CSG solids therefore have a high pH and total alkalinity, and hence have elevated electrical conductivity. As a consequence, the settled solids from CSG extraction have no proven beneficial reuse value, and successful revegetation of dams and untreated sediments is limited to salt-tolerant grass species but is often impossible using any species under any condition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the remediation of CSG dam sediments from Queensland for the purposes of determining their potential beneficial reuse as “clean, usable soil” in revegetation projects. Experiment #1, a field trial conducted in the Bowen Basin, examined the impact of various additives to two different types of CSG dam sediments. Experiment #1 found that both types of sediment could be remediated, examples of which include decreases in pH from 10.0 to 7.4, chloride from 19,900mg/kg to 1,770mg/kg, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) from 23meq/100g to 4.0meq/100g, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 931meq/100g to 44meq/100g, and increases in total phosphorus from 27mg/kg to 855mg/kg and total nitrogen from 950mg/kg to 3,520mg/kg. These findings confirm that contaminated CSG sediments have beneficial reuse potential in dam decommissioning and revegetation projects. Experiment #2, a bench-scale test utilizing samples of treated sediments from Experiment #1, examined the revegetation potential of these remediated CSG sediments. Experiment #2 showed that both types of CSG dam sediment could be effectively revegetated using non-salt-tolerant grass species, while untreated sediments were not suitable for revegetation. However, the design and scale of this work need to be expanded, and variables such as sediment pH, CEC and SAR should be monitored and controlled more carefully before fully reliable conclusions can be made about the revegetation potential of treated CSG dam sediments.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland
AU  - Lee Fergusson
Y1  - 2014/10/30
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
T2  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
JF  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
JO  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
SP  - 249
EP  - 257
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5699
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
AB  - Coal seam gas (CSG) has become an increasingly common method of extracting methane from coal in Australia, with more than 20,000 wells expected to enter production by 2020. However, large quantities of “produced water” also come to the surface with gas, and these several thousand litres of water per day per well have to be managed sustainably. Furthermore, up to five percent of produced water is composed of suspended or dissolved solids, most typically present in the form of salty brines and a range of other elements, sometimes including benzene and other hydrocarbons like phenols. CSG solids therefore have a high pH and total alkalinity, and hence have elevated electrical conductivity. As a consequence, the settled solids from CSG extraction have no proven beneficial reuse value, and successful revegetation of dams and untreated sediments is limited to salt-tolerant grass species but is often impossible using any species under any condition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the remediation of CSG dam sediments from Queensland for the purposes of determining their potential beneficial reuse as “clean, usable soil” in revegetation projects. Experiment #1, a field trial conducted in the Bowen Basin, examined the impact of various additives to two different types of CSG dam sediments. Experiment #1 found that both types of sediment could be remediated, examples of which include decreases in pH from 10.0 to 7.4, chloride from 19,900mg/kg to 1,770mg/kg, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) from 23meq/100g to 4.0meq/100g, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 931meq/100g to 44meq/100g, and increases in total phosphorus from 27mg/kg to 855mg/kg and total nitrogen from 950mg/kg to 3,520mg/kg. These findings confirm that contaminated CSG sediments have beneficial reuse potential in dam decommissioning and revegetation projects. Experiment #2, a bench-scale test utilizing samples of treated sediments from Experiment #1, examined the revegetation potential of these remediated CSG sediments. Experiment #2 showed that both types of CSG dam sediment could be effectively revegetated using non-salt-tolerant grass species, while untreated sediments were not suitable for revegetation. However, the design and scale of this work need to be expanded, and variables such as sediment pH, CEC and SAR should be monitored and controlled more carefully before fully reliable conclusions can be made about the revegetation potential of treated CSG dam sediments.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Lee Fergusson

Principal Consultant, Prana World Consulting, Gold Coast, Australia

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APA Style

Lee Fergusson. (2014). Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. American Journal of Environmental Protection, 3(5), 249-257. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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ACS Style

Lee Fergusson. Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 2014, 3(5), 249-257. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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AMA Style

Lee Fergusson. Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland. Am J Environ Prot. 2014;3(5):249-257. doi: 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17

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@article{10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17,
  author = {Lee Fergusson},
  title = {Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland},
  journal = {American Journal of Environmental Protection},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {249-257},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajep.20140305.17},
  abstract = {Coal seam gas (CSG) has become an increasingly common method of extracting methane from coal in Australia, with more than 20,000 wells expected to enter production by 2020. However, large quantities of “produced water” also come to the surface with gas, and these several thousand litres of water per day per well have to be managed sustainably. Furthermore, up to five percent of produced water is composed of suspended or dissolved solids, most typically present in the form of salty brines and a range of other elements, sometimes including benzene and other hydrocarbons like phenols. CSG solids therefore have a high pH and total alkalinity, and hence have elevated electrical conductivity. As a consequence, the settled solids from CSG extraction have no proven beneficial reuse value, and successful revegetation of dams and untreated sediments is limited to salt-tolerant grass species but is often impossible using any species under any condition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the remediation of CSG dam sediments from Queensland for the purposes of determining their potential beneficial reuse as “clean, usable soil” in revegetation projects. Experiment #1, a field trial conducted in the Bowen Basin, examined the impact of various additives to two different types of CSG dam sediments. Experiment #1 found that both types of sediment could be remediated, examples of which include decreases in pH from 10.0 to 7.4, chloride from 19,900mg/kg to 1,770mg/kg, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) from 23meq/100g to 4.0meq/100g, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 931meq/100g to 44meq/100g, and increases in total phosphorus from 27mg/kg to 855mg/kg and total nitrogen from 950mg/kg to 3,520mg/kg. These findings confirm that contaminated CSG sediments have beneficial reuse potential in dam decommissioning and revegetation projects. Experiment #2, a bench-scale test utilizing samples of treated sediments from Experiment #1, examined the revegetation potential of these remediated CSG sediments. Experiment #2 showed that both types of CSG dam sediment could be effectively revegetated using non-salt-tolerant grass species, while untreated sediments were not suitable for revegetation. However, the design and scale of this work need to be expanded, and variables such as sediment pH, CEC and SAR should be monitored and controlled more carefully before fully reliable conclusions can be made about the revegetation potential of treated CSG dam sediments.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Beneficial Reuse: A Field Trial to Remediate and a Bench-Scale Test to Revegetate Coal Seam Gas Dam Sediments from Queensland
AU  - Lee Fergusson
Y1  - 2014/10/30
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
T2  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
JF  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
JO  - American Journal of Environmental Protection
SP  - 249
EP  - 257
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5699
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajep.20140305.17
AB  - Coal seam gas (CSG) has become an increasingly common method of extracting methane from coal in Australia, with more than 20,000 wells expected to enter production by 2020. However, large quantities of “produced water” also come to the surface with gas, and these several thousand litres of water per day per well have to be managed sustainably. Furthermore, up to five percent of produced water is composed of suspended or dissolved solids, most typically present in the form of salty brines and a range of other elements, sometimes including benzene and other hydrocarbons like phenols. CSG solids therefore have a high pH and total alkalinity, and hence have elevated electrical conductivity. As a consequence, the settled solids from CSG extraction have no proven beneficial reuse value, and successful revegetation of dams and untreated sediments is limited to salt-tolerant grass species but is often impossible using any species under any condition. The purpose of this study is to investigate the remediation of CSG dam sediments from Queensland for the purposes of determining their potential beneficial reuse as “clean, usable soil” in revegetation projects. Experiment #1, a field trial conducted in the Bowen Basin, examined the impact of various additives to two different types of CSG dam sediments. Experiment #1 found that both types of sediment could be remediated, examples of which include decreases in pH from 10.0 to 7.4, chloride from 19,900mg/kg to 1,770mg/kg, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) from 23meq/100g to 4.0meq/100g, and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) from 931meq/100g to 44meq/100g, and increases in total phosphorus from 27mg/kg to 855mg/kg and total nitrogen from 950mg/kg to 3,520mg/kg. These findings confirm that contaminated CSG sediments have beneficial reuse potential in dam decommissioning and revegetation projects. Experiment #2, a bench-scale test utilizing samples of treated sediments from Experiment #1, examined the revegetation potential of these remediated CSG sediments. Experiment #2 showed that both types of CSG dam sediment could be effectively revegetated using non-salt-tolerant grass species, while untreated sediments were not suitable for revegetation. However, the design and scale of this work need to be expanded, and variables such as sediment pH, CEC and SAR should be monitored and controlled more carefully before fully reliable conclusions can be made about the revegetation potential of treated CSG dam sediments.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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