Pennsylvania farming community turned into natural gas wasteland
The Titchen-Bohlander family has managed its farm, nestled in a lush agricultural community in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, for over 150 years in relative peace and quiet. But this year is different.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation was granted a residual waste general permit by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the processing, transfer and beneficial use of natural gas well waste at a regional treatment plant on land belonging to the Titchen-Bohlander farm's neighbor. The waste, including used drilling fluids, used frack fluids, and produced water, can be contaminated with hazardous chemicals and radioactive elements.
Generally NRDC is strongly supportive of the recycling of oil and gas waste. Recycling the waste and reusing it in future operations can reduce water demand and toxic waste and help protect clean water as well as air quality and land. Recycling of waste, however, has to be done right--just like any other aspect of the oil and gas extraction process.
Photocatalytic decomposition of the oil-contaminated water using nanoscale or microscale TiO 2 particles can provide an effective solution to this problem 8-10 . Inexpensive, raw cotton waste is an amazing oil absorbing material that is also