Dr. Wenbo Zheng, an Engineering Assistant Professor at UNBC, has received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant for his research.
The $142,500 grant will go towards a project that looks into how to more safely and securely extract natural gas from the ground.
Zheng explained that natural gas can be trapped about 2-3 kilometres beneath the surface, and the current extraction process uses water, chemicals, and proppants (things like sand, or ceramic material) to crack through the earth to allow the gas to escape.
“These proppants, typically they’re coming from the States. So it’s a very heavy carbon footprint process,” he added.
The 5-year study will not only look for a greener, more efficient process, but will also look to observe the long-lasting effects that may occur with the current system.
“Situated in northern B.C., UNBC provides an excellent venue for conducting research in the area that is globally significant as well as highly relevant to the local industry,” said Zheng.
He will also be collaborating with the Deep Earth Energy Research Group at Monash University in Australia, as well as a geohazard group at the China University of Geosciences.
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