Carnegie Mellon University
September 16, 2013

Press Release: Carnegie Mellon's Kelvin Gregory To Speak at Prestigious Conference in China

He'll Discuss Strategies To Improve Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas Production

Contact: Chriss Swaney / 412-268-5776 / swaney@andrew.cmu.edu

Kelvin GregoryPITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University's Kelvin Gregory will discuss water management strategies for hydraulic fracturing at the 7th National Conference on Environmental Chemistry, Sept. 19-25 in Guiyang, China.

"I'm extremely pleased to be speaking about this dynamic topic to such a prestigious global audience as we continue to develop strategies to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction," said Gregory, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon.

Gregory is an invited speaker at the conference's workshop aimed at better understanding the reuse of hydraulic fracturing fluids and water management strategies for development of China's vast unconventional oil and gas resources. Hydraulic fracturing is a method many gas development companies use to optimize gas production from deep shale formations by pumping fluids at high pressure into the ground and fracturing subsurface rock.

A global expert in studying water management from shale gas development, Gregory has several research projects through the U.S. Department of Energy that aim to develop economic strategies for water reuse and management while reducing the environmental footprint of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas recovery from deep shale resources.

Through both economic and environmental drivers encountered during extraction of oil and gas from shale, Gregory's team is evaluating holistic approaches and alternate water management strategies for flowback and produced water, including the use of produced fluids, abandoned mine drainage and other impaired waters as make-up water for subsequent hydraulic fracturing.

"We are working to develop a system to minimize the disposal costs for gas producers and make water safe for all users," said Gregory, who is responsible for development of a new remediation technology based on electrochemical cells.
     
             
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A global expert in studying water management from shale gas development, Kelvin Gregory (pictured above) has several research projects through the U.S. Department of Energy.