The North Dakota Department of Health has approved a pilot project to test new technologies to recycle solid drilling waste.
One of the companies involved in the project is promising to revolutionize the industry by recycling Bakken drilling waste into material for roads or other uses. Nuverra has invested more than three years and $30 million into this initiative. Its process called Terrafficient can recycle 100 percent of that waste, according to company spokesperson.
Recycling drilling waste is a common practice in other states, but the Bakken’s high salt content has made it more challenging to develop a process that protects the environment.
“Scott Radig with the North Dakota Department of Health said “Nuverra proposes to reuse the drilling waste in three ways: mix it with gravel so the gravel will compact better and not wash off the roads; reuse it as a road base material; and use it within municipal landfills as daily cover material.”
Nuverra’s testing will include using the recycled material to construct a road within their landfill facility near Arnegard and a gravel road in central McKenzie County will be used to test mixing the recycled material with gravel.
Read more at nuverra.com