Patent ID: 8726989

Claim:
A method for removing contaminants from wastewater in a hydraulic fracturing process, the method comprising the steps of: (a) drilling a borehole from the surface to a underground shale matrix containing gas or oil; (b) inserting the pipe into the borehole; (c) creating fractures in the shale matrix; (d) pumping fluid under pressure into the shale matrix to widen the fractures in the shale; (e) coating the interior surface of at least one section of the pipe with a contaminant-capturing substance; (f) allowing fluid from the shale matrix to re-enter the pipe and move through the coated pipe section to the surface; (g) allowing natural gas or oil from the shale to enter the pipe and move to the surface to be collected; and (h) leaving the coated pipe section in the ground.