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Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania

[Image: see text] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 3.2 million abandoned wells in the United States. Studies conducted on gas emissions from abandoned wells have been limited to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, due to concerns regarding climate change. Howeve...

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Autores principales: DiGiulio, Dominic C., Rossi, Robert J., Lebel, Eric D., Bilsback, Kelsey R., Michanowicz, Drew R., Shonkoff, Seth B.C.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: American Chemical Society 2023
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249135/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37305312
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c00676
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author DiGiulio, Dominic C.
Rossi, Robert J.
Lebel, Eric D.
Bilsback, Kelsey R.
Michanowicz, Drew R.
Shonkoff, Seth B.C.
author_facet DiGiulio, Dominic C.
Rossi, Robert J.
Lebel, Eric D.
Bilsback, Kelsey R.
Michanowicz, Drew R.
Shonkoff, Seth B.C.
author_sort DiGiulio, Dominic C.
collection PubMed
description [Image: see text] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 3.2 million abandoned wells in the United States. Studies conducted on gas emissions from abandoned wells have been limited to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, due to concerns regarding climate change. However, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, a known human carcinogen, are known to be associated with upstream oil and gas development and hence could also be released when methane is emitted to the atmosphere. In this investigation, we analyze gas from 48 abandoned wells in western Pennsylvania for fixed gases, light hydrocarbons, and VOCs and estimate associated emission rates. We demonstrate that (1) gas from abandoned wells contains VOCs, including benzene; (2) VOCs are emitted from abandoned wells, the magnitude of which depends on the flow rate and concentration of VOCs in the gas stream; and (3) nearly one-quarter of abandoned wells are located within 100 m of buildings, including residences, in Pennsylvania. Together, these observations indicate that further investigation is necessary to determine whether emissions from abandoned wells pose an inhalation risk to people living, working, or congregating near abandoned wells.
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spelling pubmed-102491352023-06-09 Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania DiGiulio, Dominic C. Rossi, Robert J. Lebel, Eric D. Bilsback, Kelsey R. Michanowicz, Drew R. Shonkoff, Seth B.C. ACS Omega [Image: see text] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that there are over 3.2 million abandoned wells in the United States. Studies conducted on gas emissions from abandoned wells have been limited to methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, due to concerns regarding climate change. However, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, a known human carcinogen, are known to be associated with upstream oil and gas development and hence could also be released when methane is emitted to the atmosphere. In this investigation, we analyze gas from 48 abandoned wells in western Pennsylvania for fixed gases, light hydrocarbons, and VOCs and estimate associated emission rates. We demonstrate that (1) gas from abandoned wells contains VOCs, including benzene; (2) VOCs are emitted from abandoned wells, the magnitude of which depends on the flow rate and concentration of VOCs in the gas stream; and (3) nearly one-quarter of abandoned wells are located within 100 m of buildings, including residences, in Pennsylvania. Together, these observations indicate that further investigation is necessary to determine whether emissions from abandoned wells pose an inhalation risk to people living, working, or congregating near abandoned wells. American Chemical Society 2023-05-19 /pmc/articles/PMC10249135/ /pubmed/37305312 http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c00676 Text en © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Permits non-commercial access and re-use, provided that author attribution and integrity are maintained; but does not permit creation of adaptations or other derivative works (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle DiGiulio, Dominic C.
Rossi, Robert J.
Lebel, Eric D.
Bilsback, Kelsey R.
Michanowicz, Drew R.
Shonkoff, Seth B.C.
Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title_full Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title_fullStr Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title_full_unstemmed Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title_short Chemical Characterization of Natural Gas Leaking from Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells in Western Pennsylvania
title_sort chemical characterization of natural gas leaking from abandoned oil and gas wells in western pennsylvania
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10249135/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37305312
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c00676
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