Banana peels show promise as superior water purifi- “Banana Peel
Applied to the Solid Phase Extraction of Copper and Lead from
River Water: Preconcentration of Metal Ions with a Fruit Waste”
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 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. Their report, which
concludes that minced banana peel performs better than an array
of other purification materials, appears in ACS’s journal
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. Gustavo Castro and
colleagues note 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