As America prepares to celebrate the Recycles Day on November 15, a number of optimistic developments are taking shape.
The first one, on water recycling, comes from Energy Water Solutions (EWS). The company announced it has completed a six-month project to irrigate a cotton crop in Pecos, Texas, using recycled produced water from nearby oil and natural gas activity in the Delaware Basin.
The project was carried out in coalition with Texas Railroad Commission, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Gibson Energy and EWS.
The AgriLife Research station in Pecos, Texas, was selected as the site for the project based on its ability to host advanced research in crop science.
The produced water used in the research was provided by Anadarko, which owns and operates oil and natural gas wells in the Delaware Basin in close proximity to the Pecos Research Station.
The produced water was stored and recycled onsite at the Research Station. Gibson Energy provided the storage for both the produced water and the recycled water used in the field. EWS used its patented technology to recycle the water to a standard suitable for growing the cotton.
The cotton will be harvested in late November and will be tested by the AgriLife team. The full report is expected to be available in January 2016.
Meanwhile, Plastics Make it Possible has come forward to educate and encourage Americans to recycle more plastics year round—Plastics Make it Possible is offering some tips to widen the types of plastics collected for recycling, as well as a chance to win an iPad Air.
Recycling plastic beverage bottles from American kitchens has become commonplace, but many other types of plastics also can be recycled, beyond the kitchen and even beyond the home.
Plastics Make it Possible urges Americans to recycle plastics used throughout the home, from the bathroom to the outdoors, as well as plastics used away from home.
Rajani Baburajan