Maybe a New Cash Crop for Farmers

Seems there is a huge shortage of guar gum, a prime ingredient in fracking fluids. Its grown in India in poor soils in a dry climate and planted during the summer monsoons.  Sounds like a perfect crop for the desert south west.

http://world.time.com/2012/07/17/why-the-u-s-fracking-industry-worr...

Shortage of special sand, now guar gum. What next?  And will this drive up the price of ice cream...just during a vry hot summer? Oh, the humanity!

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Permalink Reply by Billy Park Whyde on July 18, 2012 at 3:55am

 I should have been able to flood the market with my weather conditions! 

Permalink Reply by Chris Crawley on July 18, 2012 at 4:24am

Looks like it may be a golden opportunity for GasFrac Energy Services...

Permalink Reply by Frank Nesmith on July 18, 2012 at 5:50am

I agree. Lots of water withdrawals stopped in PA. Are they stopping any in Ohio? GasFrac could make a killing now.

Permalink Reply by Kathleen on July 18, 2012 at 7:15am
Who would have guessed this? Not me and it sure is in a lot of our food (my ice cream prices are to high now ;0)) I thought this was really interesting. I wonder why the oil co's never really said its in the fluid mix? You would think they would put this out there in large print. Very cool!
Permalink Reply by Brian Powers on July 24, 2012 at 2:27am

Kathleen-

Guar, Xanthan and various cellulosic compounds are used for food thickeners and frac fluids. Not just ice cream, but also salad dressings, but catsup and other items in your refridgerator. For fracing, the refining process for these gels is often modified to reduce the residue that gets left behind as the fracture closes. This residue plugs off the pore throats and can impede gas flow from the fracture, not a good outcome.

 

Brian

Permalink Reply by Jim Litwinowicz on July 18, 2012 at 3:01pm

I drove through Youngstown a couple of hours ago and there was Ron Eiselstein filling in his shrimp ponds and planting guar beans!!!

Permalink Reply by Kathleen on July 19, 2012 at 2:07am
That just made my morning!
Permalink Reply by Frank Walker on July 18, 2012 at 3:34pm

Guar gum rules!  Persons who control guar gum control the world.  :-)

PS

In reality, the best ice cream has the least guar gum.  

Permalink Reply by Dan on July 19, 2012 at 12:53am

If I am recalling correctly, the drilling industry used to use Xanthan Gum, simalar product and also a food and dairy additive.  Xanthan Gum is made from corn sugar and we all know where corn is grown.  What happened, did to much corn get allocated to the over subsidized ethanol and bio-diesel market? lol

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