Application of tomato peel as an efficient adsorbent for

water purificationalternative biotechnology?

(2012), Ramakrishna Mallampatia and Suresh Valiyaveettil, First published online

Heavy metal ions and dissolved organic compounds in waste water are known to
adversely affect human health, aquatic life and the overall ecosystem. Many
hazardous pollutants need to be removed from drinking water; however, such
technologies are not accessible for economically disadvantaged people around the
world. Naturally abundant tomato peels or other biomembranes are used as an
efficient biomaterial to remove toxic metal ions and organic pollutants from aqueous
solution. The functional groups and morphologies of the tomato peels were
characterized using FT-IR and FESEM, respectively. Factors such as pH, nature and
amount of adsorbent used for extraction were studied to establish the optimum
conditions. The maximum adsorption capacity was observed at different pH values
for different pollutants. The equilibrium adsorption data were interpreted by using
Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms and the adsorption mechanism was investigated
by kinetic studies. Results showed that tomato peels have good potential as an
efficient adsorbent to remove various pollutants from water.
Adsorption of heavy metal ion from aqueous single metal
solution by chemically modified sugarcane bagasse
Authors: Osvaldo Karnitz Jr.a, Leandro Vinicius Alves Gurgela, Jlio Csar Perin de
Meloa, Vagner Roberto Botaroa,Tnia Mrcia Sacramento Meloa, Rossimiriam Pereira
de Freitas Gilb, Laurent Frdric Gil
Tel.: +55 3135591717; fax: +55 315511707.
Copyright 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

This work describes the preparation of new chelating materials derived from

sugarcane bagasse for adsorption of heavy metal ions in aqueous solution. The first

part of this report deals with the chemical modification of sugarcane bagasse with

succinic anhydride. The carboxylic acid functions introduced into the material were

used to anchor polyamines, which resulted in two yet unpublished modified

sugarcane bagasse materials. The obtained materials were characterized by

elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The second part of this reports

features the comparative evaluation of the adsorption capacity of the modified

sugarcane bagasse materials for Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ ions in aqueous single metal

solution by classical titration. Adsorption isotherms were studied by the Freundlich

and Langmuir models.

Banana peels can be used to purify water

Paul Ridden March 14, 2011

Research published in the journal of the American Chemical Society claims that
mashed up peel can remove heavy metals from river water.

The skin of a banana has been used to great comic effects in numerous slapstick
routines for many years. It's also good for the skin and is a traditional cure for warts.
You can polish shoes and silver with it. You can make wine with it and it's even been
known to find itself being dried, wrapped in paper and smoked. Now, research
published in the journal of the American Chemical Society claims that mashed up
peel can remove heavy metals from river water.

Heavy metals can end up in the waterways of the world as a result of industrial or
agricultural processes and have been linked to a variety of health problems, ranging
from nausea and vomiting to lung, kidney and brain damage. While there are
numerous purification methods are already employed to try and keep the nasties at
bay, many involve significant cost and can carry their own toxic risks.

Adding to other work which has shown the benefits of using coconut fibers and
peanut shells, Gustavo Castro and colleagues from Brazil's Instituto de Biocincias
de Botucatu at the Universidade Estadual Paulista have found that minced banana
peel could quickly remove lead and copper from river water and is at least as
effective, and in some cases even better than, existing methods.

The team found that the banana skin water treatment apparatus can be used up to
11 times without losing its cleansing properties. The use of banana skins is seen as
very attractive for water purification because of low cost and the fact that no
chemical modification is necessary for the process to work.

On the face of it, this seems to be a very promising use for an otherwise discarded
waste product. Unfortunately, the university didn't get back to us when we inquired
about what happens to the minced banana skin at the end of the process.
Using banana peels to remove metals from polluted water:

By: CANDACE ROWELL on MARCH 19, 2012

Researchers have found banana peels can remove toxic metals from contaminated
water just as well as many expensive laboratory methods.

Access to Clean Water: A Basic Human Right

A simple turn of the faucet delivers an endless supply of clean and refreshing H2O
in our homes, our offices, and even water used to flush our toilets. Clean drinking
water is so readily available that we dont have to think about where it is coming
from or how we are going to get it. Access to clean drinking water is a basic human
right that we enjoy on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this right isnt the reality for
millions of people around the world.

The World Health Organization [WHO] estimates that 884 million people world-wide
do not have access to clean drinking water. Over half of these individuals live in
developing African countries where the consequences of drinking unclean water
account for millions of deaths each year. Children, 5 years or younger, are the most
vulnerable. In the past, drinking unclean water typically meant high risk to diarrheal
diseases caused by bacteria or viruses. Today, drinking unclean water can mean
much, much more.

With the ever ongoing and increasing industrial activities in developing nations
across the globe, water quality in the most impoverished areas has become
increasingly worse. Bacteria and parasites in the waterways of third world countries
are no longer the only worries; issues of mining and heavy industry pollution are
now adding to the clean water crisis- often times in the form of toxic heavy metals.
Exposure to heavy metals [including: lead, mercury, copper, cadmium, chromium]
can cause developmental defects in children, neurological effects such as memory
loss and behavior changes, chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, and it may
lead to certain types of cancers.

Banana Peels: Removing the Metals

There have been numerous technologies developed to specifically remove metal

toxicants from polluted waters- silica, alumina, activated carbon, and resins have all
been proven successful and expensive. While they perform in the high tech
laboratories of developed countries, mass manufacturing and distribution of these
products in developing nations are expensive and impractical. For rural and remote
villages, activated carbon filters are just not a sustainable option for water
purification. But, banana peels are.

Using water from Brazils Paranhas River and locally grown bananas, researchers at
Sao Paublo State University have demonstrated that dried banana peels can
successfully remove copper and lead [two common metal pollutants] from
contaminated water.

Banana peels contain nitrogen, sulfur, and carboxylic acids; the acids are
responsible for the peels ability to bind the toxic metals and remove them from the
water. Because of the high number of these acids in the peels, not only can banana
peels remove the contaminants, but they can do it just as well, and in some cases
better, than more expensive technological options. And its easy. Without any
technical preparation, dried banana peels successfully remove metals.

In areas in South America and sub-Saharan Africa where bananas are a common
resource and contaminated water is a common problem, banana peels offer a
sustainable and practical way to remove toxic metals from drinking water. By using
the same banana peels up to 11 times without replacement, families can
successfully minimize their risk of exposure.

Banana peels dont kill parasites or bacteria, and they arent going to protect
children from viruses. But, banana peels may offer millions of families around the
world the opportunity to drink water free of heavy metals. A basic solution to
promote a basic right.