Abstract

This paper discusses important environmental issues that must be considered during shale gas development. Shale gas has been attracting many attention as the next key energy resource with its large abundance through easily accessible production fields, and its lower carbon dioxide & sulfur dioxide emission profile upon combustion when compared to the conventional oil and natural gas resources. Successful development of a shale gas field requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to recover hydrocarbon through the very tight shale formation, which has been frequently associated with environmental contamination issue of water, soil, and atmosphere. Therefore, environmental issues and their solution to minimize environmental impact should be considered for successful development of shale play in a future.

Keywords shale gas, hydraulic fracturing, environmental issues, contamination pathway