Agua purificada con cáscara de plátano! Using banana peels to purify water: Copper and Lead removed..

Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions
Uso de la cáscara de plátano para purificar agua

Las cáscaras de plátano tienen algunos usos sorprendentemente inventivos como:  pulir las vajillas de plata, zapatos de cuero, y las hojas de plantas de interior. Los científicos han añadido ahora a la lista: la purificación del agua contaminada con metales tóxicos. Un estudio la revista de la Sociedad Química americana, Investigación Industrial y de Química que, relata que la cáscara de plátano picada funciona mejor que una serie de otros materiales de purificación para el agua y podría proporcionar una alternativa sostenible. Gustavo Castro y sus colegas notan que los proceso mineros o de extracción, el escurrimiento o deshecho de las granjas, y la  basura industrial pueden arrojar a los canales todo tipo de metales pesados como plomo y cobre. Los metales pesados pueden tener efectos dañinos para la salud  y para el medio ambiente. Los métodos corrientes para quitar metales pesados del agua son caros y algunas sustancias usadas en el proceso son tóxicas por sí mismos. El trabajo anterior ha mostrado que algunas basuras de plantas, como fibras de coco y cáscaras de cacahuete, puede quitar estas toxinas potenciales del  agua.

Gustavo Castro, Ph.D.,
São Paulo State University
Brazil
El Dr Castro y sus colegas decidieron averiguar si las cáscaras de platano (banano) picadas también podrían actuar como purificadores de agua. Esto es lo que dice Gustavo Castro de la Universidad de São en Brasil:

“Decidí trabajar con cáscara de plátano, porque  durante mucho tiempo he  escuchado, que por lo general tiramos la mejor parte de la fruta que contiene el mayor número los nutrientes y proteínas y que se encuentran en esas partes que no usamos, como las pieles. Desde allí, decidí hacer un experimento inicial para determinar la composición química de la cáscara.”

Los investigadores encontraron que la cascara de plátano picada, podría quitar rápidamente el plomo y el cobre del  agua contaminada del río  tan bien o  mejor que otros tipo de materiales. Ellos aseveran que con este método las cáscaras de plátano pueden ser usadas hasta 11 veces sin perder sus propiedades. Los científicos añaden queesta opción es  muy atractiva debido a su  bajo costo  y porque no tienen que ser modificadas por medios químicos a fin de que funcionen. Dice el  doctor Castro:

“Me sorprendio saber que algo tan simple podría trabajar tan bien creo que las cáscaras de plátano pueden ser de gran importancia en la purificación de agua contaminada. La sustentabilidad es muy importante.”

Developing New Materials: Using banana peels to purify water
ACS Chemistry for lifeAugust 8, 2011

Banana peels have some surprisingly inventive uses including polishing silverware, leather shoes, and the leaves of houseplants. Scientists have now added purification of water contaminated with toxic metals to the list. A study in the American Chemical Society’s journal, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, reports that minced banana peel performs better than an array of other water purification materials and could provide a sustainable alternative

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 work has shown that some plant wastes, such as coconut fibers and peanut shells, can remove these potential toxins from water.

Castro and colleagues wanted to find out whether minced banana peels could also act as water purifiers. Here is Gustavo Castro of São Paulo State University in Brazil:

“I chose to work with banana peels because I have heard for a long time that we usually throw out the best part of the fruit and that most of the nutrients and proteins are in parts not used by us, such as the peels. From there, I decided to make an initial experiment to determine the chemical composition of the peel.”

The researchers found that minced banana peel could quickly remove lead and copper from river water as well as or better than many other materials. They say that banana peels can be used up to 11 times without losing their metal-binding properties. The scientists add that banana peels are very attractive because of their low cost and because they don’t have to be chemically modified in order to work. Here again is Dr. Castro:

“I was surprised to learn that something so simple could work so well I believe that banana peels can be of great importance in water purification. Sustainability is very important.”

Banana peels purify contaminated water
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 16, 2011

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 toxins from water. The researchers wanted to find out whether minced banana peels could also act as water purifiers.

They discovered that minced banana peel could quickly remove lead and copper from river water as well as, or better than, many other materials.
A purification apparatus made of banana peels can be used up to 11 times without losing its metal-binding properties, they note.

The team adds that banana peels are very attractive as water purifiers because of their low cost and because they don't have to be chemically modified.
 Listen to Podcast

 Listen to the MP3 here: http://web.1.c2.audiovideoweb.com/1c2web3536/GC2011_BananaPurifiersFINAL.mp3