Under the name of fracking hides one of the greatest aggressions that can be perpetrated against the environment. Normally, it is translated into Spanish as hydraulic fracturing ( hydraulic fracturing ). But what exactly is fracking and why is it so harmful to the environment? In this AgroCorrn article, we explain in detail what fracking is.
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Definition of fracking
Fracking is a technique that improves the extraction of gas and oil from the subsoil. To do this, some material is injected under pressure into that soil, so that the fractures that already exist in the rocks inside the earth increase and release the gas or oil, which will flow outwards. What is injected, normally, is water with sand , although some type of foam or gases can also be used.
Faced with the demonization of oil, more and more natural gas is being consumed (since it emits fewer greenhouse gases). But in the extraction of this, the fracking technique is often used, which destroys landscapes in many areas of the planet. Companies are desperately searching for natural gas fields so as not to be out of business. Some of these reserves are almost inaccessible. It is in these cases when fracking is used.
In the United States, it has been widely used and has been questioned by various studies, which point out, not only its environmental impact, but also the danger it poses to health.
The system uses several thousand liters of water (which is already an ecological aberration), which is also mixed with chemicals and sand. That compound is injected at high pressure into reservoirs enclosed in the dense rock of the subsoil and release the natural gas. These chemical compounds, which break up or dilute the rock, pollute the ground and underground aquifers. Several scientific studies confirm this (one by Duke University researchers, another by Cornell University). In addition to pollution, fracking produces greenhouse gases, especially methane, which is more harmful to climate change than CO2.
Finally, toxic substances such as benzene, lead and other chemicals that have been classified as carcinogens are used.
It is estimated that the fracking technique is used in 60% of the extraction wells that are currently open.
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