There has been concerns raised about the fluids used in the fracking process and how these fluids may be contaminating drinking water, or damaging the environment. However, it appears that most of the “frac gel” used in the fracking process may not be so secret or environmentally damaging as thought, and may in fact come from a combination of products that you can buy from your local grocery store.

The U.S. Congress initiated an investigation to explore the environmental impact and risks associated with hydraulic fracturing – or “fracking” – of shale gas formations. Fracking is the technical process that drillers use to break tight rock formations to unlock the natural gas they hold. In order to assist in this process, a high-pressure mix of water, sand and chemicals are pumped thousands of feet underground to break up the shale formations and release oil and natural gas. It is the specific chemicals used that raises environmental concerns over the possibility that the chemicals could leach through the shale rock and eventually find their way into water sources. The story gained additional media attention when a number of companies admitted to using diesel and other chemicals in the fracking process. (See HRN: “U.S. Congress to investigate “fracking” process“).

Keith Schaefer reports in his “Oil & Gas Investments Bulletin” that the fracking fluid is made primarily of grocery store items and that the so called “secret formula” that the industry is trying to protect is simply that the fluid is not proprietary or that secret. According to Mr. Schaefer’s anonymous industry expert (who is referred to as “McGyver“):

“The secret everyone is trying to hide is how non complicated these secret recipes are, yes much like my tea biscuits you can have one but I am not telling what is in them. It is a competitive edge to have unique fluids in a very competitive market.”

According to McGyver, 70% or more of the fracking that takes place can be done with this grocery store frac gel. He compares each company to a baker that tries to vary the recipe and add their own “flare” in order to make it their own – or proprietary. It is this variance that each company tries to protect. McGyver does acknowledge that for deep fracking targets some “nasty chemicals” are used but these deep targets are generally well below water acquifiers.

In his report “Fracking Fluids Part II – MacGyver Shows us His Secrect Fracking Fluid Recipe” Mr. Schaefer even offers McGyver’s actual recipe for frac gel that you closet-chemists can make in your very own kitchen.The U.S. Congress investigation into the fracking process may blow over if the fluids used do prove to be grocery formulas, but industry needs to do a better job in communicating this to the public.