WASHINGTON, Aug. 10, 2011 — To the surprisingly inventive uses
for banana peels which include polishing silverware, leather
shoes, and the leaves of house plants, scientists have added
purification of drinking water contaminated with potentially
toxic metals. That's the topic of the latest episode in the
American Chemical Society's (ACS) award-winning "Global
Challenges/Chemistry Solutions" podcast series. It actually
points out that minced banana peel performs better than an array
of other traditional purification materials. Gustavo Castro and
colleagues note in the podcast that mining processes, runoff
from farms, and industrial wastes can all put heavy metals, such
as lead and copper, into waterways. Heavy metals can have
adverse health and environmental effects. Current methods of
removing heavy metals from water are expensive, and some
substances used in the process are toxic themselves. Previous
work has shown that some plant wastes, such as coconut fibers
and peanut shells, can remove these potential t