Because cleaning up water is one of the substantial costs per barrel of fracking based extraction, it will be interesting to see how this technology is developed. And even more interesting to notice that it is happening in Texas… more potential bad news for OPEC…
https://news.utexas.edu/2017/06/08/nanoparticles-and-magnets-remove-oil-from-water
AUSTIN, Texas — When oil mixes with or enters into water, conventional methods of cleaning the water and removing the oil can be challenging, expensive and environmentally risky. But researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin believe they may have developed a better method.
In a study published this spring in the Journal of Nanoparticle Research, the researchers used magnetic nanoparticles to separate oil from water through a simple process that relies on electrostatic force and a magnet. The engineers believe their new technique could improve water treatment for oil and gas production, more efficiently clean up oil spills and potentially remove lead from drinking water.