Eureka Resources receives patent for wastewater purification

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded Eureka Resources a patent for a method to cleanse and recycle wastewater from oil and gas operations.

The company’s proprietary technology can remove impurities from oil and gas wastewater, isolate the recyclable minerals, purifying the water enough it can be returned to the hydrologic cycle.

Extracted minerals include salt, calcium chloride, and lithium. These minerals are sold to third parties.

Hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells typically produce between 1.5 million to 16 million gallons of water. This wastewater is injected into deep wells for disposal.

“This, our third patent, will help accelerate our expansion to other oil and gas plays across the country,” Eureka CEO Daniel Ertel said. “Not only does our process avoid the underground disposal of contaminated water, it generates pure water that can be used to restore wetlands, replenish depleted waterways, or be reused by the oil and gas industry to reduce their draw from freshwater sources.”

Eureka Resources is headquartered in Williamsport and has three facilities in the Marcellus Shale. Its two wastewater treatment facilities can treat 10,000 barrels of wastewater daily.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Production has been using Eureka Resources permits since 2008.