The
safe disposal or reclaim of shale gas flowback and produced
water (SGFPW) is a significant challenge given the large amounts and
typically heavy contamination. The high levels of total dissolved
solids, particulate matter, and organics combined with naturally occurring
radioactive material (NORM) and heavy metals reflect the composition
of SGFPW, bearing potential environmental hazards of bioaccumulation
of contaminants in localized areas of shale gas wastewater disposal.
This study investigated the effects of ultrafiltration–reverse-osmosis-treated
shale gas wastewater on vegetable seed germination, plant growth performance,
and ion concentration in plants, which offered a momentous exploration
of the feasibility study on agricultural use for SGFPW reuse. The
resulting uptake of heavy metals by vegetables is relatively low,
and the radioactive elements are reduced to a safe level as a result
of treating water used for irrigation, selecting appropriate crops,
and greenhouse cultivation. Through reduction of the bioaccumulation
and metal concentrations from SGFPW to plants, this approach decreases
health risks associated with NORM intake from edible vegetable biomass.
Treatment and reuse of flowback and produced water (FPW) from shale gas extraction for agricultural irrigation has often been proposed as a sustainable alternative to disposal via deep-well injection. Here, we investigate the effects of FPW on the germination period, macroscopic growth, element enrichment, and grain gene expression of wheat upon dilution and advanced membrane treatment of the liquid stream. Compared to tap water, irrigation with treated FPW shortened the germination time, slightly improved the seed vigor index, and ensured a similar germination rate. On the other hand, the biomass and grain yield of mature wheat irrigated with treated FPW and with FPW diluted to 5% groups decreased compared to tests using tap water. After a whole growth cycle of wheat, higher concentrations of nutrients, such as K, Ca, and Mg were enriched in mature wheat tissue irrigated with treated FPW. However, the Pb and Cr contents of mature wheat grains treated with three types of irrigation waters exceeded the standard to varying degrees. A total of 1973 differentially expressed genes were mainly related to binding, catalytic activity, cellular process, metabolic process, and cell part, more than half of which were upregulated and induced by irrigation with treated FPW. These findings provide critical guidance for the reuse of treated shale gas FPW for agricultural application from the perspective of plant uptake of toxic elements, as well as crop and human health risks.
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