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Featured researches published by John D. Quaranta.


Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts | 2014

Practical measures for reducing the risk of environmental contamination in shale energy production.

Paul F. Ziemkiewicz; John D. Quaranta; Michael McCawley

Gas recovery from shale formations has been made possible by advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. Rapid adoption of these methods has created a surge in natural gas production in the United States and increased public concern about its environmental and human health effects. We surveyed the environmental literature relevant to shale gas development and studied over fifteen well sites and impoundments in West Virginia to evaluate pollution caused by air emissions, light and noise during drilling. Our study also characterized liquid and solid waste streams generated by drilling and hydraulic fracturing and evaluated the integrity of impoundments used to store fluids produced by hydraulic fracturing. While most shale gas wells are completed with little or no environmental contamination, we found that many of the problems associated with shale gas development resulted from inattention to accepted engineering practices such as impoundment construction, improper liner installation and a lack of institutional controls. Recommendations are provided based on the literature and our field studies. They will address not all but a great many of the deficiencies that result in environmental release of contaminants from shale gas development. We also identified areas where new technologies are needed to fully address contaminant releases to air and water.


Mine Water and The Environment | 2014

Practical Application of Dilution Analysis for Estimating Groundwater Quality Effects Due to Coal Slurry Injection into Underground Mine Voids

John D. Quaranta; Benjamin Mack; Benoit Van Aken; Alan Ducatman; Paul F. Ziemkiewicz

Wet coal cleaning produces fine coal slurry, which is commonly disposed of in surface impoundments. Following impoundment failures in the early 1970s, regulatory agencies encouraged placement of coal slurry in underground mine voids. That option was not without environmental risk, since it placed slurry in direct contact with mine water, a major component of local groundwater systems. We studied analytical data from coal slurry injection into two Central Appalachian underground coal mines with regards to potential water quality impacts on surface and groundwater. A dilution analysis model was used to predicted exceedances of surface and groundwater standards. The model proved useful for discriminating the effects of slurry injection and background pollutants, such as those generated in mines independent of slurry injection. The data did not identify a link between slurry injection in either of the two studied mines and exceedances of primary drinking water standards for arsenic, lead, or selenium in the mine pool water down-gradient of slurry injection. Contaminants associated with alkaline mine drainage (aluminum, iron, manganese, sulfate, and total dissolved solids) often exceeded secondary drinking water standards up-gradient in the slurry liquids and down-gradient of slurry injection. The results indicate that the liquid fraction, more than the solid fraction, of contaminants determines the effect of coal slurry injection on water quality. The study concluded that no public health problem attributable only to the coal slurry could be documented from the available data.KurzfassungBei der Nassaufbereitung von Kohle entsteht feinkörniger Kohlenschlamm, der üblicherweise in Absetzanlagen eingelagert wird. Nach Versagensfällen in den frühen 1970er Jahren regten die Genehmigungsbehörden die Verbringung der Kohlesuspensionen in untertägige Grubenhohlräume an. Diese Option geht jedoch mit Umweltrisiken einher, da der Schlamm in direkten Kontakt zu Grubenwasser gerät, welches wiederum wichtiger Bestandteil lokaler Grundwassersysteme ist. Untersucht wurde die Injektion von Kohlenschlamm in zwei untertägige Kohlengruben in den Zentral-Appalachen im Hinblick auf potentielle Einflüsse auf die Qualität von Grund- und Oberflächenwasser. Zur Vorhersage von Grenzwertüberschreitungen bei Grund- und Oberflächenwässern wurde ein Verdünnungsmodell genutzt. Das Modell bewährte sich hinsichtlich der Unterscheidung zwischen Effekten der Schlamminjektion und in den Gruben unabhängig von der Schlammeinspülung auftretenden Hintergrundbelastungen. Bei beiden untersuchten Gruben ließen die Daten keinen Zusammenhang zwischen der Schlammeinspülung und Überschreitungen von Trinkwassergrenzwerte für Arsen, Blei bzw. Selen im abstromig von der Einspülstelle gelegenen Grubenwasserkörper erkennen. Kontaminanten, die mit alkalischen Grubenwässern assoziiert sind (Aluminium, Eisen, Mangan, Sulfat, Filtrattrockenrückstand) überschritten hingegen die Trinkwasserrichtwerte oft, sowohl in der Schlammflüssigphase als auch abstromig der Injektionsstelle. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass die Beeinflussung der Wasserqualität in stärkerem Maße von der gelösten, jedoch weniger stark von der im Feststoff gebundenen Schadstofffraktion bestimmt wird. Die Studie kommt zu dem Schluss, dass sich auf Basis der vorliegenden Daten kein ausschließlicher Zusammenhang zwischen Problemen der öffentlichen Gesundheit und dem Kohlenschlamm belegen lässt.ResumenEl lavado húmedo de carbón produce lodo fino de carbón que es comúnmente dispuesto en diques en la superficie. A partir de las fallas en los diques hacia 1970, las agencias de control recomendaron la ubicación del lodo de carbón en agujeros de minas subterráneas. Esta opción no está libre de riesgo ambiental debido a que el lodo queda en contacto con el agua de mina que es componente principal de los sistemas de aguas subterráneas. Hemos estudiado el impacto sobre la calidad del agua superficial y subterránea provocada por la inyección de lodo de carbón en 2 minas de carbón subterráneas en los Apalaches Centrales. Un modelo de análisis de dilución fue usado para predecir los excedentes sobre los valores estándares que presentan tanto el agua superficial como la subterránea. El modelo es capaz de discriminar los efectos de la inyección de lodo y los contaminantes de base, tales como aquellos generados en las minas en forma independiente a la inyección de lodo. Los datos no identificaron una conexión entre la inyección de lodo en las dos minas estudiadas y los excedentes de los estándares primarios de agua potable para arsénico, plomo o selenio en el agua de mina gradiente abajo de la inyección de lodo. Los contaminantes asociados con los drenajes alcalinos de mina (aluminio, hierro, manganeso, sulfato y total de sólidos disueltos) frecuentemente exceden los estándares secundarios de agua potable, gradiente arriba en los líquidos del lodo y gradiente debajo de la inyección de lodo. Los resultados indican que la fracción líquida, más que la sólida, de los contaminantes determina el efecto de la inyección de lodo de carbón sobre la calidad del agua. El estudio concluyó que a partir de los datos disponibles no se pueden atribuir problemas de salud pública a los lodos de carbón.抽象湿式洗煤产生大量细粒煤浆,尾矿库是圈闭处理煤浆的重要工程。在70年代初期发生多次煤浆尾矿库溃坝之后,监管部门鼓励将煤浆注入地下采空区。这种处理方法将煤浆直接与矿井水接触,也并非不存在环境风险。为研究该方法对地表水和地下水水质的潜在影响,我们研究了中央阿巴拉契亚(Central Appalachian)两个地下煤矿采空区的煤浆注入资料。稀释分析模型是一个预测地表水和地下水水质超标状态的模型,用于区分煤浆注入引入的污染物和与煤浆注入无关的背景污染物。两个煤矿的煤浆注入资料都不足以证明煤浆注入与矿井水砷、铅、硒含量超一级饮用水标准之间的直接关系,超标值随煤浆注入增多而减少。另外,与碱性矿山废水相关的污染物(铝、铁、锰、硫酸盐和总溶解固体)超过饮用水次级标准,污染物浓度在煤浆浆液中升高而注入煤浆中降低。研究结果表明,是污染物的液相而不是固相影响着煤浆注入对地下水水质的影响。目前还没有充分数据证明公共健康问题完全是由煤浆注入引发的。


Journal of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation | 2017

GEOMORPHIC LANDFORM DESIGN PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO AN ABANDONED COAL REFUSE PILE IN CENTRAL APPALACHIA

Leslie Hopkinson; Jeffrey T. Lorimer; Jeffrey R. Stevens; Harold Russell; Jennifer Hause; John D. Quaranta; Paul F. Ziemkiewicz

Abstract. Geomorphic landform design is a reclamation technique that may offer opportunities to improve aspects of mine reclamation in Central Appalachia. The design approach is based on constructing a steady-state, mature landform condition and takes into account the long-term climatic conditions, soil types, terrain grade, and vegetation. Geomorphic reclamation has been applied successfully in semiarid regions but has not yet been applied in Central Appalachia. This work describes a demonstration study where geomorphic landforming techniques are being applied to a coarse coal refuse pile in southern West Virginia, USA. The reclamation design includes four geomorphic watersheds that radially drain runoff from the pile. Each watershed has one central draining channel and incorporates compound slope profiles similarly to naturally eroded slopes. Planar slopes were also included to maintain the impacted area. The intent is to reduce infiltration rates which will decrease water quality treatment costs at the site. The excavation cut and fill volumes balanced to approximately 250,000 yd. This volume is comparable to those of more conventional refuse pile reclamation designs. If proven successful then this technique can be part of a cost-effective solution to improve water quality at active and future refuse facilities, abandoned mine lands, bond forfeiture sites, landfills, and major earthmoving activities within the region.


International Journal of Mining, Reclamation and Environment | 2016

Simulating the hydrologic response when streams are incorporated in valley-fill design

Leslie Hopkinson; A.E. Sears; M. Snyder; E. O’Leary; Nathan DePriest; John D. Quaranta; Paul F. Ziemkiewicz

Abstract The geomorphic landform design (GLD) approach has the potential to incorporate stream networks into valley-fill reclamation. This work modelled the potential hydrologic response of GLD by evaluating storm response as well as flooding of the receiving reach of one West Virginia valley fill in several construction phases (i.e. pre-mining, conventional design and GLD). The GLD during construction condition resulted in peak flowrates that were more than twice the undisturbed pre-mining condition, but peak flowrates reduce to pre-mining conditions over time. A GLD that included surface ponds was presented to offer on-site streamflow. A retrofit example was presented to improve bond failing sites.


Energy Sources Part A-recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects | 2016

Probabilistic modeling of shale gas containment pits for environmental and safety management

Andrew Darnell; Richard Wise; John D. Quaranta

ABSTRACT The Marcellus Shale formation contains large natural gas reserves, which are increasingly being extracted using horizontal drilling techniques. Concerns about environmental effects have prompted studies regarding Marcellus operations, including the safety of pits and impoundments containing frac fluids and freshwater. A subset of these structures in West Virginia was evaluated using a risk-based field data collection tool, which revealed recurring problems. A probability-based method was developed to determine the likelihood of these problems occurring in larger sample sizes. Applying this method to portfolios of pits and impoundments would benefit the industry by identifying areas of improvement for construction and inspection.


Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering | 2014

Exposure pathways related to shale gas development and procedures for reducing environmental and public risk

P.F. Ziemkiewicz; John D. Quaranta; A. Darnell; R. Wise


Journal of Environmental Engineering | 2015

Environmental contaminants in coal slurry intended for underground injection in the State of West Virginia

Benoit Van Aken; John D. Quaranta; Benjamin Mack; Hui Yu; Alan Ducatman; Paul F. Ziemkiewicz


Geotextiles and Geomembranes | 2011

Design of non-woven geotextiles for coal refuse filtration

John D. Quaranta; Rajesh Tolikonda


Ecological Engineering | 2015

Geomorphic landform design alternatives for an existing valley fill in central Appalachia, USA: Quantifying the key issues

Nathan DePriest; Leslie Hopkinson; John D. Quaranta; Peter R. Michael; Paul F. Ziemkiewicz


Shale Energy Engineering Conference 2014 | 2014

Characterization of Waste Waters from Hydraulic Fracturing

Paul F. Ziemkiewicz; Yongtian He; John D. Quaranta

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Alan Ducatman

West Virginia University

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Benjamin Mack

West Virginia University

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A. Darnell

West Virginia University

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A.E. Sears

West Virginia University

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