Special Issue "Sustainable Hydraulic Fracturing"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2022.

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Debotyam Maity
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Exploration & Production, Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL 60018, USA
Interests: unconventional reservoirs; hydraulic fracturing; geomechanics; geophysics; structural geology; reservoir engineering; machine learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid adoption and increase in hydraulic fracturing worldwide over the past decade, particularly in North America, has necessitated a better understanding of both the technical and environmental aspects of fracturing operations in shale reservoirs. Huge resource requirements, particularly fresh water sources along with huge quantities of quality sand, can place stresses on the environment. Moreover, significant transportation needs and waste disposal activities can impact local populations adversely. The past decade has seen an increasing amount of academic research around such activities associated with hydraulic fracturing. These include impacts on ground water and air quality, as well as understanding and mitigating induced seismicity concerns. In addition to environmental concerns and associated legislations in North America, such as plans for a complete ban on fracking in California by 2024, recent drop in oil prices, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global economy, etc. have brought a sharp focus on acute price sensitivity and longer-term sustainability of hydraulic fracturing.

With this Special Issue on hydraulic fracturing, our aim is to better understand the current challenges facing sustainable operations and growth in the industry. We want to begin to answer some pressing questions, including ways to improve water use and efficiencies, optimize costs, reduce the environmental footprint, and ameliorate induced seismicity concerns. The focus of the Special Issue will be on ways to make hydraulic fracturing operations more sustainable in the long term. While some research already exists, our aim is to provide a more holistic understanding of the challenges and potential solutions around these topics through a Special Issue, thanks to a collection of articles with a broader focus on problems surrounding sustainable hydraulic fracturing operations. In addition, we hope to gather the latest research and understanding to constructively supplement the existing literature on this topical issue.

On behalf of MDPI and the Sustainability journal, I want to extend my invitation to peers and experts in the field and would like to solicit high-quality papers with a special focus on continued and balanced growth of hydraulic fracturing over the next decade. Papers highlighting novel technologies to reduce the environmental impact, optimize resource use, and improve operational efficiencies in hydraulic fracturing are particularly encouraged. I believe that this is crucial for our energy security and for long-term global growth, as well as for a smoother transition toward a post fossil fuel economy.

Dr. Debotyam Maity
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydraulic fracturing
  • wastewater disposal
  • non-aqueous fracturing
  • enhanced oil recovery
  • re-fracturing
  • hydraulic fracturing water cycle
  • air emissions
  • governance and policy
  • induced seismicity

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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