Prioritizing Organic Pollutants for Shale Gas Exploitation: Life Cycle Environmental Risk Assessments in China and the US

Environmental impacts associated with shale gas exploitation have been historically underestimated due to neglecting to account for the production or the release of end-of-pipe organic pollutants. Here, we assessed the environmental impacts of shale gas production in China and the United States using life cycle assessment. Through data mining, we compiled literature information on organic pollutants in flowback and produced water (FPW), followed by assessments using USEtox to evaluate end-of-pipe risks. Results were incorporated to reveal the life cycle risks associated with shale gas exploitation in both countries. China exhibited higher environmental impacts than the US during the production phase. Substantially different types of organic compounds were observed in the FPW between two countries. Human carcinogenic and ecological toxicity attributed to organics in FPW was 3 orders of magnitude higher than that during the production phase in the US. Conversely, in China, end-of-pipe organics accounted for approximately 52%, 1%, and 47% of the overall human carcinogenic, noncarcinogenic, and ecological impacts, respectively. This may be partially limited by the quantitative data available. While uncertainties exist associated with data availability, our study highlights the significance of integrating impacts from shale gas production to end-of-pipe pollution for comprehensive environmental risk assessments.